In Love and War
by FallenInDreams
Summary: The Land of Wind is dying. To save his people, the king's forces begin a systematic invasion of the Land of Fire. But Gaara gets more than he bargained for when he goads an enemy warrior in battle. This woman was going to be the death of him. Extreme AU GaaSaku.
1. Chapter 1

Hiya.

I know I've been MIA as of late and I'm really sorry about that.

When I went to fix that, THIS story grabbed a hold of me and wouldn't let go. It's 10 chapters long and is **FINISHED**. Yes, you read that right. I completed this before posting it. The chapters could use a go in the spelling and grammar spin cycle (since they're raw drafts) but are otherwise **DONE**.

I wrote out the chapter summaries over a year ago then shelved it, came back to it a few days ago, and then wrote the whole thing out. My compilation word document of all 10 chapters is roughly 31,000 words. I can't believe I wrote all that so quickly after such a long break from ff writing.

Anyway.

This was such an alien process for me I don't even have chapter names for them all. Maybe I'll go back over it at a later date and name them but my brain is fried on that right now. So, uh, I'm nervous to say: this is a strange story for me. At least from the perspective of how it felt writing it.

**EDIT: because this site doesn't do tags & I feel I need to add this:**  
**Warnings: **Semi-slowburn. Infidelity—in side pairings. Politics. War. Pining. And the most important thing: Kankuro is a whore. ;)  
**Side-pairings:** NaruHina. Eventual ShikaTema mention. Karin/Suigetsu. One-sided (but hopeful) SasuIno. And like I 'tagged' on AO3: the GaaSaku here isn't **consistent** but there is only GaaSaku in romantic interactions, if that makes sense.

Hope you enjoy. ^_^

**…  
Chapter One.  
...**

"Company, _halt_!"

Gaara pulled his horse's reins to come to a stop and dusted his boots carelessly as his General started sorting out the infantry. His second in command boasted an intimidating presence, his booming voice worked at bringing the formation—which had come slightly undone due to the terrain and exhaustion of their journey—back into place.

While he waited, Gaara glanced around impassively at the once fertile farming land; it wasn't war that made this land uncultivable, of that he was sure. But the reasoning behind the salting of this earth by barbarians didn't matter to him. He only cared that this cornered off part of the Land of Fire still held the embers of the fight; the men in these villages could use a bath, but they were beefy, passably adept at weapon use, and well organised for such rabble. It was just a shame they'd put these talents to such pointless pursuits as defending this useless plot of land.

All he cared about was that his enemies could not use this land against the Land of Wind. And if this rabble could be turned to _their_ cause, they could be moulded into a fighting force (for a diversion squad, if nothing else). They hated their king as much as Wind despised that old coot, for abandoning this area during a plague years ago. But Gaara didn't trust that old man not to come back and reclaim it. Especially since his reason for abandoning it was over; his forces were needed at the eastern borders, to defend against the Water Queen. Some said Mei Terumi was a witch. That she'd beguiled the Hōzuki Clan warlords into doing her dirty work.

Gaara had met her. She wasn't his type.

_The people beguiled by her were just weak._

All the more reason they had to secure their land and mark out more territory. And a large part of that was done in the taking of resources, be that crops, animals, mining privileges, or the people themselves.

He scoffed silently to himself as he perused the enemy peasants. His contingent had stopped a good twelve feet from the entrance to the main village. There were several other villages—if one could call them even that—surrounding this one, but the Elder here spoke for them all. It was the largest congregation of humans in this area, so it didn't surprise him. If there were any bodies of warrior material, this was the place to start.

Gaara felt uncomfortable, as his usual missions involved just sweeping through areas like this and leaving no witnesses to his blood thirst for battle. He was the best weapon his people had in light of the guerrilla and covert attacks they were suffering at the hands of the Fire King—the mad king. He was forcing their hand.

They needed to undermine Fire as much as possible before open war began.

A soldier from his personal guard came up to him. "We're done here, Commander. There are just farmers and little wannabe soldiers past this line."

Gaara nodded as his soldiers laughed. "Farmers have muscle," he said. "They can be trained."

Baki frowned, clearly agreeing with the soldiers. "They're uncivilised and know nothing of Wind tactics-"

He broke off as Gaara urged his horse forward, ignoring him. But he followed his commander, motioning for the lieutenants in Gaara's personal guard to do the same (they were less a personal guard and more like his favourite fighting lackeys that he took—almost—everywhere). Baki was wary of this intent look in Gaara's eyes but said nothing as they stopped just shy of what looked to be the leader of this village. The man was tall, beefy, and yet held a placid expression on his face.

"You are the Elder," Gaara said. "You speak for your people."

"That I do." His voice was rich and friendly, despite the bulging muscles and metal tipped wooden spear he was using as a leaning pole.

Gaara's horse snorted. "In the name of the Wind King I request entrance to speak of a matter of great importance."

The Elder looked surprised. "A Wind soldier makes a _request_? I was not aware you did not know how to do anything but take and demand. Please," he said, sweeping his large hand behind him and ignoring the indignant looks on the faces of Gaara's men. "Welcome, Lord Gaara."

The redhead frowned at the Elder's use of his name but figured his familiarity with his name came from his reputation proceeding him. Even when his missions involved leaving no survivors, word somehow got around who he was, and what he was capable of. Gaara was renown throughout all the kingdoms—sometimes for good things but mostly for bad. Depending on your point of view.

Gaara dismounted from his horse, handed it over to a Lieutenant, said "come, Baki," and followed the Elder as he turned to lead the way in. He kept his hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword, just in case. Baki motioned for Gaara's personal guard to follow them in—it was standard procedure in these situations.

The eight Wind fighters drew in curious faces of what little crowds there were here.

"What's the plan?" Baki whispered.

"Wait."

"Yes, sir."

The Elder led them to the heart of the village where it seemed most of their fighters waited. But Gaara wouldn't call them fighters. Unarmoured farmers with pitchforks, poorly made steel, and clearly undisciplined as they scowled at the _invaders_. But they were _men_. And men with physiques like theirs could be trained into a guerrilla force to fill in the gaps of the Wind army in King Rasa's forthcoming plans to invade the Fire's outer towns. It would take a lot of hard work and breaking down whatever loyalties they may still hold to their king, but it would be worth it.

They just needed _time_.

"You've salted your earth," Gaara said, noting the lack of vegetation in the area.

The Elder shook his head. "Not us."

"Your king?"

The Elder frowned, showing his displeasure for the first time. "Why have you come?"

"You owe your king no allegiance."

"Ah, you seek to turn us."

_Smart man._

The Elder continued. "We may seem a quaint lot to you, but we are proud. We fight with the fury of a hundred Fire and Wind soldiers." A cry of approval erupted from those present. "But fury does not win wars, yes?"

"No."

The Elder chuckled. "My name is Kizashi, young one. Elder of all you see before you. But even this will soon fade. If I fight you, my people will die. But I will not order them to lay down their spears for you. Not for nothing."

"A challenge, then," Gaara said.

Baki shifted uncomfortably behind him, no doubt wondering why Gaara wasn't just taking this village by force. The young commander needed them to not see him as a barbaric invader, if he wished to recruit them.

Kizashi stroked his chin. "Ah yes, there you would have the advantage. We are good fighters, but not soldiers. However, there is one among us who has trained. This warrior will fight your warrior, yes? Is this how you see this going?"

"The terms are sound."

Kizashi laughed. "My dear boy, I am no fool. The terms are unequal. But… this warrior is eager to fight you to prove their worth."

Gaara looked around, trying to figure out who this warrior was. None of those assembled looked like they were ready to attack him—nor like they were capable.

"I will allow this warrior to make the bargain with you that is in the interest of your plans for us."

Gaara narrowed his eyes at the old man. What was his game? He was intelligent but also eager to lead his best fighter to a slaughter. For Gaara's confidence in himself was rivalled only by his skills in battle. He had never lost a fight; barring one, to a very obnoxious blond that most people didn't realise had done the _impossible_. He'd never lost a battle. Any battle. And there was no way a warrior from a backwater village had anywhere near enough power to take him on, let alone last very long going toe to toe with him.

The Elder was right: his is unequal.

But honour had no place in his mission. His father had given him an order and he was going to carry it out.

Kizashi tapped his spear to the ground. "_Come_!"

The warrior that finally graced them with his presence was an inch shorter than Gaara, but covered in armour, and an old-style mask that hid his face, hair, and skin. But the way he walked in, intrigued the redhead. His movements were those of a trained fighter, his gait sure and powerful, though his physique was scrawny for someone at this alleged skill level. The hilt of his katana was all that was visible, but it looked well crafted.

_Where did he train?_

"This warrior will fight your warrior."

"He will fight me," Gaara said, not taking his eyes of this warrior. If people like this existed in these outlier villages, they could mount a great campaign. A fighter of this calibre, trained up in the style of Wind, would be useful against Fire. This looked fruitful.

The corner of Kizashi's mouth quirked upwards but he nodded, apparently finding something in Gaara's comment amusing. "Then this is a fight of first blood and not to the death."

Gaara nodded. "Agreed." It would be a shame to kill such a warrior, after all.

"Lord Gaara."

Gaara didn't look back at Baki. "Hold."

No matter how impressed he was by the appearance of an actual warrior in these backwater parts, this fighter was still no match for the demon of the sand. He moved forward, leaving his excess weapons with Baki, and stepped into the makeshift ring that was being formed, with the villagers as the boundary. This warrior was something else, the way they moved, shifting into a battle stance he didn't recognise, their katana at the ready.

"It is customary to greet your opponent properly before a battle," Gaara said, indicating to the warrior's mask. He wanted to see the face of the man who he planned to lead this rabble into the battle against Fire. "Give your name and set your terms for the fight, good sir."

The warrior glanced at Kizashi who was chuckling with barely contained mirth—surprising and disturbing to the redhead. The Elder nodded his head in agreement, his eyes intent on Gaara however, and the warrior started to undo the ties holding their mask in place.

Gaara stood and stared as the mask fell to the ground, his eyes widening and his lips parting; his mouth suddenly _very_ dry as he couldn't take his eyes of _her_ face. He swallowed heavily. She was beautiful, her short hair the colour of cherry blossoms, her eyes a shade of green brighter than his own, and her skin flawless and smooth. She looked soft enough to…

"I assume your code does not preclude fighting women warriors?" Kizashi asked, grinning at Gaara's reaction.

Gaara cleared his throat. There was no way he could go back to taking this fight as serious as he was planning to. Even if this woman proved to be half the warrior she appeared to be, he could never convince his father to put her in their army, let alone in charge of her own battalion (even if the soldiers were her own kin).

_What the good is she to me?_

"No." He glanced at the Elder, frowning at the man's uncontained joy. He had to get this under control. An unexpected pretty face in a backwater village of toothless grannies and unwashed men was not an excuse to lose his cool.

_This village is crazy._

He'd stepped into this mess, so now he had to clean it up. But there was _no_ way he was going to let this girl walk away with his dignity, regardless of the fact that she had no chance against him. Women had a way of getting under your skin no matter who won the "fight".

Gaara forced himself to calm down and act unaffected. He pretended he hadn't just called this woman a man and pushed down his inner turmoil over her unexpected _appearance_ as he addressed her. "Your name and terms, if you please."

She was stone faced and tense, her voice stern with an undercurrent of melody that belied the fierceness in her eyes. "Sakura. And if I win, you'll find our people a new land to settle and then leave us in peace, coming to our aid against any who were to bear arms against us. And if _you_ win—"

"_When_ I win," Gaara interrupted, forcing a smirk to his face and feeling emboldened by the growl she emitted at his wording, "you'll become my personal servant—" (Sakura gripped the hilt of her sword and shifted into a defensive stance) "—and your brigade will join my guard, to do what I want," he gave her body an exaggerated, sweeping stare, "_when_ I want."

Standing next to Baki, Gaara's personal guard laughed. Their jeers frustrated the General and he sighed at their immaturity, mentally berating the young Lord.

The look on the Elder's face didn't change but the tension in the air made him shift, as though Gaara had personally offended _him_.

"Just what the _hell_ is that supposed to mean?" Sakura demanded.

"Just what I said. Are you ready or not?" Gaara unsheathed his sword and angrily, she did the same.

She wore her emotions on her sleeve, this one. Like all women do. He smiled, remembering that he'd already won, and this fight was just a formality.

"Bring it, you baka!"

Gaara preferred not to make the first move. He waited for his opponents to charge at him, but Sakura was digging her heels in the ground, growling, and taunting him to come at her first. He decided to break with tradition and held his sword out, ready to swing.

Half-way through his first motion, Sakura suddenly moved.

_Damn, she's fast._

Too bad she was a _she_. If he was the type to just lay with anyone who tickled his fancy, he'd be a lot more excited about her body parts. But a male warrior with her skill would've been preferable in the light of his mission here.

_Oh, well._

Gaara changed his direction mid swing and kicked out at her as his sword came down, careful not to hit her head on. She was nimble though, darting out of the way of his sword while barely avoiding his foot. She was using brute strength and speed and clearly knew nothing of how much power _real_ warriors held. Sakura spun around and kicked out at him as he recovered from his swing and miss, getting Gaara in the gut.

His moment of contemplation had cost him. But he wasn't remotely beaten, let alone harmed.

Nothing was more beautiful to her in that moment, than the look of surprise on his face.

Gaara didn't collapse; clutching his stomach, he remained standing.

_Fuck, she's strong._

For such a petite thing, she packed a lot of power, reminding him of a certain slug princess. If she could be trained up, she'd be just as formidable as that uniquely powerful woman warrior.

_Stay focused._

"Enough of this," he growled.

She smirked at him as she readied herself again and charged. That was more like it; the way he wanted it. Gaara waited for her to get so close he could feel her warm breath on his face, before spinning, grabbing the hilt of her sword and throwing her to the ground. He twisted the blade in her hand to cut her before her butt hit the dirt.

She's misjudged the distance between his face and the point of her sword and scowled at him.

Sakura looked like a ravenous beast, even on the ground and Gaara felt a tremor go through his body and hit him in the groin as she snarled. Her anger was electrifying. The fight was over, but she jumped to her feet and attacked him again. Maybe she didn't realise he'd cut her?

Gaara grabbed her, pulling her body flush against him.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" She screamed, struggling in his grip.

"You've lost," he said.

"Fuck you, arsehole."

Gods but this woman was enticing.

He ignored his body's reaction to her squirming against it and hit her in the side of the head with the butt of his sword. She fell like a sack of potatoes.

"Well this was disappointingly fast," Gaara said, now using his sword like a walking stick. "Night, night, little warrior princess."

Her vision blurred and darkened.

_Shit._

"Fuck you."

He grinned. "Maybe. But not today."

She passed out.

…

XXX

...

This is going to have weekly updates (because I'm a tease like that). Please review. :)

**R&R**

...


	2. Chapter 2

Hiya.

Nothing to say here. Enjoy. ^_^

**…  
Chapter Two.  
...**

Green eyes flickered before opening for a second and snapping shut just as quickly. The touch was light at first, but then all Sakura could feel were rough hands all over her body. She wanted to lash out, remembering the lascivious expression of the enemy commander as he talked down to her before their fight; furious and horrified what he might be doing to her while she slept. For a moment, she was frozen in shock, but a tittering sound broke the illusions of groping—it was feminine. She opened her eyes tentatively, realising she was actually being manhandled by several women; one was obviously a teenager, another was in her late twenties, and the last appeared to be over forty years old. Lady-in-Waiting types.

Sakura had never seen someone so old before. Her people were lucky to live to thirty, because they were unprotected from the wilds, were forced to live dangerous lives to survive, and had little in the way of medicine.

_Must be nice._

She'd always wanted to learn to heal instead of kill.

Sakura jumped as though startled, her instincts finally kicking in.

She realised belatedly that someone had definitely drugged her while she slept, probably to avoid this very scenario. She bolted out of the cot they'd had her in and pushed the offending hands away from herself, ignoring the tutts of annoyance from the oldest of the women.

"Lady, we must clothe you. Be still."

"What the hell?" Sakura looked down, realising she was half naked. Her breasts were unbound and exposed, and the armour she'd been wearing was on the floor; her only dignity was in that they'd only been able to unclothe her upper torso. Arms wrapped protectively over her chest, she stepped away from them.

"Don't touch me."

"But milady..."

"I'm nobody's lady," Sakura snapped.

"You are under his Lord's protection," the teenager said. "The Commander has bidden us dress you like a lady."

Sakura slapped away her hand as the maiden attempt to grab at her again. "I said, don't touch me."

"But..."

"Leave me alone."

The pinkette turned away, looking for the shirt they'd stolen only to find they hadn't bothered to remove it properly. She bent down to pick it up, frowning at the torn fabric. While it was true that this was no fine silk or whatever the nobles were wearing these days, she'd grown fond of it—it was one of the last things her mother had given her before the plague took her. No longer falling under the protection of the Fire King due to "lack of resources", their village had been neglected in every atrocity since his abandonment. Life and death were entwined in the wilds and they were used to fending for themselves.

Even a sliver of clothing could mean the difference between survival and any number of excruciating deaths.

"Milady?" The older woman reached for her again and Sakura pushed her away violently before storming out of the tent. She wasn't thinking about her state of undress (holding the shirt to her breasts was the best she could do to cover up), angry and fuming as she was. Sakura paused to look around her, ignoring the surprised looks from Wind soldiers. The largest and most pompous tent would be _his_ so as soon as she spotted it, Sakura made a beeline for the Commander's tent.

A few whistles followed her, but she ignored them. Anger, embarrassment, and frustration boiled up inside her. This was _not_ what they'd agreed upon!

"I think we should shore up the western lands before returning—"

The commander's general broke off mid-sentence as the half-naked woman stormed into the tent. The guards had been too shocked at her state of undress to stop her, or so she assumed by the looks on their faces, so she entered unannounced and unimpeded.

"You!" She snarled, pointing at Gaara who just stared back at her silently. If she'd been in her right mind, she'd have noticed the other soldiers whispering behind their hands, some blushing, and the General pinching the bridge of his nose.

If she'd paid attention to Gaara instead of fuming at him, she'd have noticed his own pale skin had a tinge of pink to it. The only person in the tent unaffected by her exposed skin was _her_. She readjusted the shirt over her breasts, drawing every set of eyes in the tent to the visible parts of her creamy skin. She was dirty from the fight, but she was still a _woman_.

"You have some nerve, bastard!"

Gaara swallowed heavily, cleared his throat, and stood up. "Sakura—"

"_No_!" She snapped. "What is with the twittering women and ripping my clothes. I am not a toy or lady! You don't get to—"

"You agreed—"

"I didn't agree to be your dress up doll!" Sakura shouted. "And I don't appreciate being woken up half naked!" She deflated slightly at the catcalls from his men, but half turned from the obnoxious redhead to glare at the officer who was making lewd hand gestures at her. The man was not intimidated in the least.

She growled at him and turned back to Gaara. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself? Why—"

Gaara interrupted her. "You stink."

"Stop interrupting me!"

He sighed. "We don't need an agreement for you to have a wash."

"Ugh!" Sakura turned and stormed away from him, her face warming at the laughter of his men.

"She's a spit fire, commander! Better watch out! She might bite and scratch you!"

Sakura grumbled to herself as she made her way back to her tent. Due to it being in visual range of _his_, there was no way for her to get lost. She threw open the flap of the tent and marched in, then stopped and closed her eyes as it fell shut behind her. Trying to calm herself, Sakura remembered her teacher's rants about her temper.

_"You'll catch a nasty gremlin if you keep that up. One day, someone's going to knock your block off for being this annoying."_

His disappointed voice and refusal to budge when she raged at him was good at calming her down. Eventually.

She sighed and opened her eyes, realising the twittering maids were all watching her, still standing in the same positions she left them in. She begrudgingly admitted she _DID_ need to clean herself.

"You must bathe." The woman who touched Sakura gently on the shoulder was the other one; the one in her twenties. She looked calmer than the other two. "We have drawn a bath for you."

Sakura frowned. Drawn a bath? If she wanted to wash up, she would just use a watering hole. What were they on about? The older woman indicated to a tub in the corner of the room and suddenly, Sakura remembered she was in a _foreign_ tent, among _foreign_ people with _foreign_ customs. This was a strange place.

She peered into the tub, sniffing at the steam rising from the water. It looked clean enough. And it had been a while since the last watering hole. Sakura nodded. That was all the permission they needed; they converged on her and she instinctively struggled against their pushing and pulling. But they were stronger than they looked (_they've done this before_) and the pinkette ended up standing stock still, her face red with embarrassment as they tore the rest of the clothes from her body.

She wasn't normally one for caring about modesty, and she was no stumbling virgin, but the only people in her life who'd seen her naked _adult_ self were only long-time friends who didn't take to unclothing her like she was a child.

_I'm going to make that arrogant redhead pay for this._

**...**

_Who rides a horse in a dress?_

Time on the road was wasted on those who had never travelled before. Sakura had never even seen a horse before now, let alone ridden on one, but her father had told her stories of them. They were used to cart people and goods all over the kingdoms and were incredibly smart for animals. And expensive. After the first day she was so sore she swore her head off for hours after dismounting. The bath that was prepared for her had been heated and the maids supplied her with a weird concoction to wipe on her bruised skin that—surprisingly—worked wonders on her aches.

It was beyond embarrassing.

And then there was the matter of not being very good at steering the dumbass equine. She fell off a few times, to the laughter of the soldiers, and almost fell off a dozen times more. And, whether it was from chivalry or annoyance, Gaara seemed to decide she was better riding with _him_.

The days bled into one another; she dismounted with as much dignity as she could muster, only accepting her captor's aid when she felt her balance begin to sway. They camped for the night and Sakura retreated to her personal tent set up away from his but still in sight so that he could easily send those annoying women to hassle her out of her clothes and into a tub of steaming water. She was fed twice a day, given a new outfit every morning, and left to wallow in her boredom for the rest of the time.

The boredom was so real, so painful, that it became her lullaby to fall asleep every night.

The highlight—so to speak—were those moments while travelling, when Gaara's hands were clasping tightly to her body. She rode, sitting aside Gaara, in a saddle that wasn't designed for side saddle riding; he had to keep a very tight hold of her to keep Sakura from falling off. And he was _very_ good at it.

At first, Sakura blanched at being this close to him, but his hands held her so tightly to him that she couldn't help but be _very_ aware of the hardened body supporting her. It was distracting enough to keep her boredom at bay, and she whiled away the hours wondering what he looked like underneath all his armour. His annoying personality wasn't contingent on the firmness she felt every time he pulled her up to the saddle and fidgeted until they had both worked into a comfortable position.

She was still a woman, after all. And it didn't mean anything in the long run, so why not admire him while she could? The warriors from Wind were very fit, indeed.

When they finally arrived at their destination, the sounds of a parade welcoming back the favourite son of the king and the tall walls of Suna City looming in front of her (the capital and jewel of the land), Sakura found herself relieved knowing the hassle of the day to day routine of this expedition was all but over. She knew she was heading to a cage that would be harder to escape than the embrace of her captor's arms on horseback. She knew this gilded cage was impending doom. But the tediousness of the ride and constantly battling with her desire to either punch or grope Gaara was finally grating on her and she needed some space from her Commander.

_From his intoxicating smell._

She wasn't the most experienced woman from her village, but she'd had a couple of tumbles in the hay. This arrogant, annoying man was invoking the same reactions the village boys had done; the difference back then was they had actually been her friends first. She didn't like being attracted to a stranger—not that she'd met many strangers. She didn't like that this distraction had gone from fascinating to mental images of him throwing her down and ravaging her. It would not do to get too attached to her captor.

After all, Sakura still had a score to settle with that pompous arse.

She waited impatiently as they moved slowly through the city streets, keeping her eyes averted from the curious looks from the onlooking crowd as they passed, and gripping the saddle of Gaara's horse like a lifeline. They made it to the castle gates without incident and the pinkette found herself the centre of attention once more as the greeting party all gaped at her. At the head of the group, a blonde woman with four pigtails was also smirking. Sakura noted she was dressed like a warrior, but in fine clothes that denoted a high status.

_Interesting._

Gaara had seemed surprised when Sakura met him, to find a warrior woman. She wondered what ever gave him the idea it was such a rare occurrence.

"What's this, Gaara?" The blonde girl's smirk grew wider. "Did you find yourself a concubine? Is my little brother finally—"

"_Temari_." Gaara's angry reply sent vibrations through Sakura's body, tingling her in … a few unexpected places. Her face flushed in embarrassment at Temari's assumption, even as Sakura shared Gaara's anger over it. She had _not_ agreed to be Gaara's sex slave.

Temari waved her brother's fury aside. "Whatever. You want someone to play with for a while, that's your business. Kankuro's going to flip though. You know he's been assuming you were gay or something. I should've taken him up on that bet."

Gaara sighed and made a few motions to his soldiers; there was a flurry of movement as his personal guard left the scene. Even Baki trotted off, though reluctantly. Gaara slid off of his horse and reached up to grab Sakura; she let him help her down and then quickly drew her arms close to her body in a show of defence. Unspoken commands were being issued as they started walking through the open doors and into the receiving hall, Sakura falling in step behind the siblings, pretending not to notice as the blonde stole a few more looks at her: what she was smiling at, Sakura didn't want to know.

"She's pretty, though. You chose well."

"Shut up."

They continued to bicker as the annoying Ladies-in-Waiting started fussing over Sakura, tugging on her to move faster and casting nervous glances at Gaara.

He looked back at Sakura, smirking at her annoyance, his eyes slowly travelling over her body as he seemed to be contemplating something; the biddies waited with bated breath for his command.

"Take her to the V.I.P. quarters in the north." There was an evil glint in his eyes. "And _bathe_ her."

She glared at Gaara, fury bubbling to the surface, hands clenching as she was dragged away. His laughter followed her down the hall.

_This fight isn't over._

**...**

Sakura screamed into the soft pillow as the doors closed, finally, and she was left alone. Left alone in a too huge room, decorated with the weird carvings of the nation, and with _nothing_ to do. After bathing again at the hands of women who didn't know the meaning of the term "personal bubble", Sakura started to worry what Gaara had even brought her here for. He'd appraised her body, nothing more. Not her skill as a fighter. Not her knowledge of the land he was trying to infiltrate—though admittedly, _that_ knowledge was second hand.

_Am I a concubine?_

She shivered. No way was he good looking enough to excuse doing _that_ to her. And he was definitely marble sculpted by the gods. But … ugh. She screamed into the pillow again. He was driving her crazy and he wasn't even in the room!

Sakura stood up and decided to tour the quarters she'd been dumped in. She'd already visited the connecting bathroom and wardrobe but hadn't noticed a small library or balcony that overlooked a good portion of the city that this palace loomed over. It was beautiful. But that bed… she'd never slept in anything so comfortable and wasn't sure she _could_ fall asleep in it. Years of low cots and forest floors did not prepare her for the soft warmth of those sheets. It felt nice but also … _wrong_.

An hour later, Sakura's stomach grumbled right on time and she put down the book she'd been reading from the library and answered the knock on the large doors to her room.

"Milady." A scullery maid stood there, curtsying as Sakura took in the sight of the covered serving tray in her arms.

_Food!_

Sakura stepped aside and let her in, closing the door when she left, after placing the tray on a table near her bed. Her stomach grumbled again, and she sat on the floor, in front of the table and got stuck into the food: roasted pork with rice and steamed vegetables. She washed it down with the jug of wine, feeling better than she'd felt in days.

Sakura woke up hours later, not realising the food had made her sleepy. She didn't remember falling asleep. But the food was gone, and she'd been moved to the bed.

_Weird._

She jumped at the knock on her door and scrambled to open it.

_This is going to take some getting used to._

"Milady."

The woman was imposing, over a head taller than Sakura, with a stern expression.

"Yes?"

"I am your tutor."

"Tutor?" What was that? "Is that like a teacher?"

"Yes, Lord Gaara wishes you to learn Wind customs."

Sakura frowned. "Why?"

The woman shrugged. "It is not my place to question. I am ordered, so here I am. May I enter?"

_Like I have a choice._

She felt her anger bubbling up inside her but pushed it down. She'd promised to do … whatever it was Gaara said she had to do. But tutoring in Wind customs? She hadn't expected that. What good could ever come of that? He was crazy. What was going through that idiot redhead's mind?

"I'd like to start with the basics."

Sakura had a healthy appetite for information, but the woman _really_ knew how to prattle on. They started having these sessions every third night and Sakura's new maid—thankfully replacing each and every one of those biddies—encouraged her to keep it up.

"You never know," the girl said, winking at Sakura. "He may be prepping you for life in high society."

Sakura scoffed. "I'm a peasant girl from a village he considers backwater and backwards. I doubt he's looking to train me for something so outlandish as—" (she threw air quotes up) "—high society."

But the traitorous thoughts in her brain told her she didn't mind. Oh, she still needed to get him back for beating her in that fight, humiliating her, and practically groping her on that horse, but there was time. Time to punish him and figure out a way to convince him—or someone else—to let her train with Wind soldiers. That idea had come to her in the days she'd spent pressed against his chest. If he felt that well-defined and was so fast and strong, then perhaps she could be too.

Alas, it seemed her captor only had thought to teach her wasteful information such as what Wind's largest import and export was.

_But I'll show him._

Eventually. And _somehow_.

She glanced at her maid, who was humming to herself. The night air coming through the open balcony was cold, but Sakura had started to like this breeze. Two weeks had passed since her arrival, with no sign of the redhead, and every question she'd made regarding her village and the fate of the warriors went unanswered.

"Tell me something."

"Hm?" The maid looked up at Sakura, pushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face and smiling.

Sakura liked her. A lot. This girl was someone she could consider on levels of friendship. And she was genuine.

"What's your name?"

The maid smiled. "Ino, milady. Ino Yamanaka."

"Ino doesn't sound like a Wind name."

Ino shook her head. "I was born in Fire, just like you. My father lost his position in court due to backstabbing and horrid rumours and I was taken by the Fire King shortly after."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Nobody here has raped me or tried to sell me off to some old pervert, so I'm doing fine enough."

Sakura flinched at Ino's brashness over such a sensitive topic.

"I do miss home, though," Ino continued. "And dad. And mum. And my idiot friends, I guess. When I get really home sick, I watch the clouds."

"Huh?"

"My best friend spends his free time cloud watching."

"Oh."

They fell silent. Sakura wasn't sure what to say. They had a lot in common. It made her feel closer to the blonde. She watched Ino folding the laundry and wondered.

"Why don't you run away?"

Ino paused. "I could… but I have no idea where I'd be going. And it wouldn't be easy getting past the security in this place." She played with the frayed end of her shirt, distractedly. "And if I was discovered, I'm just a lowly servant. The king kills for less."

Sakura clenched her fists. Kings were ruthless, so the stories went, but she wasn't knowledgeable enough to make an opinion on Ino's situation.

_Our situation._

She wondered what her own escape attempt might result in, if she got caught. Would Gaara have her executed right there? Or would the king come down on her? Maybe the redhead would use it as leverage against her, or actually chain her in some sort of dungeon? It was a curious thought.

"She's here," Ino said, rolling her eyes at the knock at Sakura's door. The pinkette had nothing personally against her tutor, but every time the woman said, "it's pronounced _eer-jay_," she wanted to take the elastic strap out of her hand and slap _her_ wrist and tell her, "it's pronounced however I damn well I want it pronounced."

Sakura tutted at Ino in a perfect mock of the tutor just before the maid opened the door, forcing Ino to burst out laughing, earning her a disgruntled glower and admonishment from the stern woman.

Ino's punishment didn't compare to the glare she sent the pinkette for setting her up.

…

XXX

...

Please review. :)

**R&R**

...


	3. Chapter 3

Hiya.

Early update just _because_.

Enjoy. ^_^

**…  
Chapter Three.  
...**

The days trapped in war meetings wore thin on Gaara. As the Supreme Commander of his father's army, he was obligated to keep abreast of all the generals' plans, but when he wasn't in the field, he felt useless. He felt unnecessary to these kinds of discussions. The mornings were spent talking politics—who was vying for what position and who was actually fit to fill the holes created from the last bout of assassinations. And then there was the agricultural crisis; spies from Fire (where else?) had slipped past their nets and salted the earth where Suna cultivated their main produce. Harvest time was predicted to yield far less crop this year than they were used to and trading with other nations was out of the question—they too had taken losses from Fire's underhanded tactics. The border towns in Wind were suffering the most, having to supply the extra manpower and seeds to feed the kingdom, and no matter how ruthless Rasa was, he had yet to willingly allow his people to starve. The presence of their army in the farming land they still had use for, keeping watch for saboteurs, was welcomed.

Gaara sighed, knowing this wasn't going to be enough. And here _he_ was, debating tactics when he should be on the field, hunting down every unwelcomed guest and crushing them under his sand. It was infuriating.

The afternoon discussions were for sorting through scout reports on enemy movements and coming up with strategies to combat it. There were rumours that the Fire King's army was twice as large as they'd thought, but nothing could be confirmed, yet. They had allies in the free cities who could come and go between the nations and would have to rely on _their_ reports to discern the political climate behind those imposing gates to the Fire capital. Nobody who'd ever laid siege to them succeeded, and all who scaled their walls died. They were going to have to be as underhanded as Fire itself, to make any kind of dent in their enemy's fortress.

The night-time was Gaara's escape from the stifled atmosphere, but brought idleness, frustration, and a bloodlust that didn't belong in such civilised company. Tensions over the subterfuge of Fire and the imminent open war ran high, and even the twittering noblewomen who were never briefed on the particulars _knew_ what was going on.

A week on from his return to the capital, a messenger arrived to inform them the Fire King had finally discovered that the people in the areas in his kingdom he abandoned were disappearing. There was no word yet on his intentions, but Rasa had called an all-night strategy meeting after another scout reported seeing Fire troops in the outlying districts.

This was a mandatory meeting for Gaara, considering the outlying districts were a part of his overarching goal.

Gaara had _one_ mission: _Bringing peace and order to the savage, disordered tribes in the outlying districts_, according to his father. Which was a polite way of saying invade and force servitude. The plan to turn captured, able bodied men into fighters for the cause was King Rasa's idea. He was a born strategist.

But Gaara's forte was in the strategy and intelligence born of the fight: in the heat of battle. He could discern the outcome of a fight before it began; warriors of low-level skill held themselves different to the high-powered chakra users. It was something he'd been able to do as long as he could remember.

The political side of war strategy was still a struggle for him. But he _was_ learning.

"Lord Gaara's forces need to head back out and slaughter those troops," General Innaro said.

Rasa shook his head. "We don't want to confirm our intentions. The enemy may be goading us into showing our hand. All the Fire King has is unconfirmed reports that we're responsible for the populous disappearances."

"A wise move," another general said, and Gaara inwardly sighed.

Of course, it was.

Innaro scowled. "Then how-"

"The scouts have not been able to determine their destination," Rasa interrupted. "There are several possibilities. We will set up sentries along the main paths and have spies ready to alert us as soon as their path is clear."

Everyone started nodding slowly, making sounds of agreement; a few were annoyed but said nothing.

Rasa continued. "Gaara's men are currently training the newer recruits so we have reason to hold him here for now." He pointed along the Fire and Wind borders on the war map. "Shore up the defences along these points and we'll have a better chance of deterring recompense if Fire decides we're guilty, after all."

When the meeting was over, Rasa pulled Gaara aside. "I don't know, nor do I care, why you're keeping that Fire peasant girl, but be discreet in your dalliance with her. People are beginning to talk. It's unbecoming."

"Yes, sir." Gaara nodded and scowled at the man when his back was turned.

Kankuro strode up to Gaara, a grin on his face. They were alone in the room and the redhead tried to leave, finding his exit blocked by his cheeky older brother.

"That was a productive three hours," Kankuro said. "I think I might hit the taverns and find a wench. You heading in to see your Fire barbarian? She'll be alone at this time of night." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Shut up."

His brother laughed but dropped the innuendos. They both knew Gaara hadn't gone near her in a week, but the dark-haired man had _hoped_ Gaara would take her to bed already. He needed to relax more than anyone right now.

"What are you teaching the barbarian manners for, anyway?" Kankuro teased. "Do you plan to make her good enough to wed?" He shook his head as Gaara didn't respond. "You know father is looking to marry you to a bride of _his_ choosing, not yours".

Gaara sighed, rubbing a hand over his trousers distractedly. "I do not have the luxury of letting my hormones control me."

"So, you're in lust with her but don't know how to express this other than to teach her to curtsy?"

"I said, shut up."

**…**

The very next day, Gaara was actually grateful his father wanted him to stay home for now. It was with barely contained excitement that he found himself striding toward the receiving room; the anteroom of the palace. He hadn't seen his best friend in months.

"Gaara!" The obnoxious blond was riding through the city gates, and as usual, ignoring the laws on speed limits within the capital.

People often groaned and complained about the boisterous blond's lack of awareness and no volume control, but the redhead was used to him and looked forward to these meetings, when he knew they were coming. This was a pleasant surprise, as he'd only received the news minutes ago.

Naruto Uzumaki was an odd friend for someone of Wind to have, given his own country's hatred of Gaara's. But nobody said no to someone as well-loved and amiable as _him_.

"We're not technically at war," Naruto would say. "And anyway, I'm not a full citizen of Fire anymore."

His father was planning an engagement for him to marry into the Hyuuga family—who'd been forced out of Fire when they stood up to the barbarity of their king. They were now settled in the free cities—a conglomerate of cities built on land unclaimed and unwanted by the kingdoms, which became renown and coveted but were now protected by international laws.

This new affiliation gave Naruto more freedom to come and go, within reason. It gave him the perfect opportunity to suss out Fire; given that his _other_ best friend was a noble of that capital.

Gaara gave his friend a warm, rare smile as Naruto dismounted and grabbed the redhead for a rough hug.

"Gaara, how are you?"

Gaara pulled away and Naruto laughed good naturedly.

"Fine. You?"

"Oh, you know, life is great. Getting myself wet in preparation for my nuptials. Thought I'd stop in to see my best friend in Wind on my last round trip as a free man."

Gaara fought a blush at the mention of sex. He didn't like the tease.

Naruto winked. "You should try it for yourself," he said in a sing-song voice. "So," he swung an arm over Gaara's shoulder, leaving his horse in the capable hands of the stable boy who ran forward, and steered his friend back into the palace. "What about you? Got engaged yet?"

Gaara sighed. "Father is insistent."

"Well tell the old bugger you deserve to choose."

Gaara scoffed. "Tell him yourself."

"Oh no, he'd kill _me_ for saying it. Set your mother on him. Wives have a special way of—" He broke off as Gaara glared at him, not wanting to hear about what may or may not be happening with his parents behind closed doors. "So… I heard a rumour you uh…"

The redhead sighed. "What did Kankuro tell you?"

Naruto grinned, removing his arm and throwing his hands behind his head as they walked, destination unknown. "You got yourself a little bed buddy."

"He's mistaken."

"Uh-huh. You know, no-one would blame you for popping your cherry _before_ you have to marry."

"_Naruto_."

"Oh, you love me."

"Butt out of it."

"Sure, sure."

They talked about safer topics and Naruto challenged Gaara to a spar, which was still going when Gaara was informed by the servants that dinner was about to be served. They retreated to separate rooms to clean up then met outside the secondary dining room; used for guests of importance that weren't dining with the king. Gaara was in for another surprise.

His siblings waited inside, along with an unexpected guest.

"Tada!" Kankuro threw his arms up in victory.

Gaara inwardly groaned, trying to resist the urge to beat his brother to a pulp.

Temari was smirking.

Sakura stood in front of him, all dolled up, and looking … uh, very nice. She didn't smile at him, but there was no anger in her eyes, for now. She wore the typical Wind cheongsam and Gaara noted absently that it complimented his own chángpáo well; she also wore several pins in her hair as it was still too short for the traditional bun. Remembering his manners, he pulled out a chair for Sakura, who mumbled a shy "thanks" and glared at Kankuro over her head, who was looking very proud of himself.

"We haven't formally met," Naruto said, as Gaara sat at the head of the table, across from his friend, with his siblings on one long side of the table, and Sakura on the other. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. You're Sakura, right?"

Sakura nodded, pulling her hands into her lap as servants entered, carrying trays of food. She looked prim and proper, like her training had paid off, but Gaara could see the annoyance she was holding back. Multiple times over the past week, her tutor had come to Gaara either asking to be replaced or passing on complaints from the pinkette about being, "told what to do, when to do it, and how to _effing_ speak".

Gaara imagined Sakura had sworn her head off, since the tutor was too proper to repeat such vulgarity.

She was driving the woman batty, which was a feat in and of itself, but she was learning. It gave her something to do, at least.

"You're from Fire?" Sakura asked, reminding Gaara that his mind had drifted. He started eating his fried gizzard and just listened to the conversation instead of joining in.

"Uh-huh." Naruto nodded his head vigorously. "My family used to be a part of the nobility. But we've been estranged since I got engaged to a Hyuuga. It's fine," he said, his smile radiant, when she looked sad. "I can still come and go as I please, but the king is good at holding a grudge." He shrugged. "He'll get over it. Old Rasa's a teddy bear compared to him though."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully, though she didn't believe him.

"And I'm Gaara's best friend," he proclaimed.

"His _only_ friend," Kankuro whispered teasingly.

Temari smacked him over the back as he started to cough uncontrollably. "Leave him alone, Gaara. It was just a joke."

Gaara sniffed and pretended to not notice his brother struggling to breathe, but the colour started returning to Kankuro's face and he stopped shuddering.

The four of them continued to talk and eat at the same time, and when Gaara was finished eating, he sat back, watching Sakura as she started talking about her training growing up.

"That's amazing!" Naruto exclaimed, then apologised as he spat food over the table. "Warrior women are amazing. You have a lithe style to you, even when you're in clunky armour. It's really great." He grinned and she couldn't help but smile lightly back. "Are you continuing your training in Suna?"

"Uh..."

"She's learning her how-to's," Kankuro said, sticking his nose in the air and pulling a face like something smelled funny.

Naruto glanced at Gaara, disapproval written all over his face, and shook his head. "What a waste."

"What?" Sakura fisted her fork angrily.

He waved at her dramatically. "No, I mean your skills. Uh… I mean that you're not able to use them." He turned to face Gaara. "You're wasting her on lady training. Trained up as a soldier, she'd be much happier in combat."

"She's—"

"A warrior," Naruto interrupted, knowing what Gaara was about to say and not liking how Sakura was slowly turning a distinct shade of red. "Your old man won't care, so why should you?"

"Yeah, Gaara," Kankuro said. "Why?"

"Kankuro," Temari said. "Don't make him strangle you again." She turned to face Gaara as Kankuro obediently dropped his smirk. "What would be the harm? It's not like there's a law against it, specifically. And the other fighters from her village are—"

"He let my friends fight?" Sakura bit the inside of her mouth, trying to reign in her anger. The male members of her village were great fighters, even if they didn't _compare_ to Wind soldiers, and of course she should've realised they'd be allowed to retain that right.

_But not me._

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah, they're a bit sexist here in Wind."

"So I noticed."

Gaara was glaring at Naruto. But truth be told, he had no answer. He didn't want to stop Sakura, but he also wanted to teach her how to survive Wind customs. Where was the problem in that? His silence only made Sakura angrier. But she was looking at Naruto thoughtfully, an idea slowly coming to her.

Gaara wished he'd said something. Instead, he sat frozen, as Sakura pushed the issue.

"You can show me," she said to Naruto.

"Naruto, a trainer?" Kankuro laughed, then yelped as Temari kicked him.

"A challenge would be better," Sakura said.

Naruto grinned. "Okay."

"What, now?" Kankuro asked. "It's dark out."

"Then stay here," Temari said, standing up. "The training grounds can be lit up easily enough. Let's go."

"Yeah!" Naruto jumped to his feet and took Sakura's hand to help her to her feet. "I'll loan you some comfortable fighting clothes, okay?"

She nodded and his grin got even wider. She couldn't help but smile back.

Gaara grudgingly waited for Naruto and Sakura to change and followed behind them and his siblings as they made their way through the halls and outside, toward the training grounds. The servants that saw them were more interested in what Naruto was doing swinging Sakura's arm up and down as they walked and he talked loudly about his teacher being a giant pervert but that "the best fighters are", then the fact that the sand siblings were quietly following. He knew how to draw a crowd.

But Gaara glared at anyone who made a move to follow, keeping this farce of a challenge out of public view.

"Okay." Naruto said as they arrived and bounded over to the weapons rack to choose his weapon. He made a show of testing a few first, '_uming'_ and '_aaahing'_ over a few of the more ostentatious options before settling on the short sword.

As she'd only ever trained in swords, Sakura copied Naruto's choice and tested out a few as well, to make sure she had a good feel of it. She desperately wanted this fight, if not to win then to show she was capable of holding her own. Gaara was so stubbornly set against it—for whatever reason—but didn't seem to be able to say "no" to Naruto. The blond was beyond excited too, and his easy smile elicited one from Sakura as they stood, facing each other. The rules were laid out and, yet again, she was fighting by the first blood challenge.

Sakura had no doubt this was going to be a make it or break it for her; her future was on the line. Nerves and excitement bundled up inside her, she shifted into a fighting stance as Naruto did the same.

"Alright," he said, grinning and spinning the sword in his hand. "Let's do this, dattebayo!"

**…**

**XXX**

**...**

A bit of a cliffy, I know. Hope you all enjoy. :)

**R&R**

...


	4. Chapter 4

Hiya.

I'm just going to end up updating a day early every time at this rate.

Enjoy. ^_^

**…  
Chapter Four.  
...**

_Naruto whooped for joy and ignored the glare Gaara was sending his way._

_Sakura had already chosen her weapon but before she could even begin to fight Naruto in the metaphorical ring, Gaara grabbed her elbow roughly to stop her. When she tried to pull away, he spun her around to press her back against him. He ignored Naruto's complaints and the scowls of his siblings and whispered in Sakura's ear, "you can't win."_

_Flushed, she tried to ignore the heat of his body, and cleared her throat. "Why?"_

_Really, she wanted to know. Sakura knew he was right, that she couldn't beat a seasoned warrior, but she was curious as to why Gaara was bothering to tell her this. He'd not cared to warn her during __**their**__ fight._

_He didn't answer, staring at her expectedly. It infuriated her. And it no longer mattered why he bothered warning her. Sakura pulled away from him angrily. She wasn't trying to win, but to come right out and say that she had no chance? Jerk!_

"_Don't touch me."_

_He watched her step back into position, an inscrutable look on his face. She had to show him she could hold her own, and against someone who respected her desire to fight._

"_Alright!" The blond yelled. "Let's do this!" He shifted into a battle stance and charged, not hiding his intentions._

_Naruto wasn't teasing Sakura like Gaara had done. His style was direct and powerful, and he did it very well. But he was still holding back. Sakura grew angrier as they fought, thinking he was afraid to hurt her or something stupid like that. What was he playing at?_

_But as they traded blows and she started losing stamina, she realised Naruto was actually testing her; his skill was too high for her to be lasting against his attacks this long. She studied Naruto's moves as he came at her again, and it became evident quite quickly that they weren't designed to overwhelm, but to draw her to him; to figure out where her strengths and weaknesses were and push her to fight harder. To learn from every blow, every parry, and every time he knocked her down._

_He was __**helping**__ her._

_Her anger vanished, replaced by a fierce determination that elicited a genuine grin from the blond._

_She was going to lose._

_But she was going to go down fighting._

_When that final blow came and Sakura found herself flat on the ground, blood trickling down her arm, Naruto leaned over her._

"_You done?"_

"_Yeah, thanks," she said, accepting his offered hand and let him help her to her feet._

_Sakura remembered quite suddenly that they'd had an audience and spun around to applause. Temari and Kankuro both looked suitably impressed as they clapped, and she blushed under their appraisal._

_But Gaara was stone faced as usual and she lost her smile, glaring at him. What the __**hell**__ was his problem?_

**...**

Naruto was the only person to ever beat Gaara in a fight. It was why they were friends, apparently, when the redhead shunned all other offers of friendship. This was also why Gaara was so sure Sakura couldn't beat him. As though telling her would stop her, but he'd taken the time to tell her without explaining. She didn't regret her impromptu fight with Naruto and the redhead's attitude about the whole thing it only made her angrier at him. How dare he try to downplay her skills before she'd even stepped into the ring?

She wondered idly if Gaara had ever stepped into the ring against his father.

As Naruto rattled on about the Fire techniques he'd used and how Gaara had been _helpless_ against them, Sakura ignored Gaara's darkening aura nearby.

"_You'll become my personal servant..."_

She knew she owed him from their challenge, but that promise hadn't included restraining her desire to fight, nor that she had to even learn the ways of Wind; cursive, customs, manners, and other matters she didn't care about. His wording had been vague and open to interpretation and she was determined to push the envelope on what she could do.

Two could play at that game of linguistic acrobatics.

"Lord Gaara, Lord Kankuro, Lady Temari," a servant had entered and was bowing respectfully. "The King and Queen require your presence in the war room."

Sakura glanced up as Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari shared looks of concern and then made to leave. She caught Gaara's eyes and was surprised to see the softness in his expression. It was gone a moment later and he followed his siblings out, without looking back. She sighed.

"He's a teddy bear on the inside," Naruto said. "You just have to get past the grizzly on the outside, to find it."

She couldn't hold back the laugh.

"I'm glad we sparred," he continued. "I think you have so much potential."

She blushed. "Thank-you."

Naruto lowered his head to whisper and Sakura found herself leaning in to hear him better. "I can give you some pointers on kicking his arse."

"Yes, _please_."

Naruto laughed and threw an arm around her shoulders as she smiled, unable to keep the heat from her face.

When he calmed down and started packing away the weapons, Sakura sighed, fingering the hilt of the sword she'd used. Gaara wouldn't let her train, no matter what Naruto offered, she was sure of it. She was never going to be free of the excessively elaborate clothes and twittering tutor.

But where there was a will, there was away.

**...**

Two days passed from her spar with Naruto, and Sakura was beginning to think he lied about wanting to help her. Her tutor was back and bolder than ever, but Ino was finally getting a smile from the older woman by telling her stories from the Fire noble court. She seemed to delight in the backstabbing exploits of the enemy.

Sakura stared out the window as her tutor talked about healing salves in Wind and how they differed from Fire, her eyes on a cavalcade that was leaving the city. It bore Gaara's emblem and she sighed deeply, realising he was going to be gone a long while.

An unexpected sadness hit her, and she longed for _something_ to distract her from the lady training. It came an hour later, in the form of a knock on her door, after the tutor had left. Ino scrambled to answer it for her.

"My name's Naruto, I'm here to see Sakura."

"Naruto?" Sakura rushed over to him. "I thought—"

"It's okay." He pushed his way into the room, gently. "I didn't forget my promise."

Ino closed the door. "You two know each other, I take it?"

Sakura introduced them.

"Uh…" Naruto looked uncertain.

Sakura had forgotten for a moment that Ino was a _servant_, and it was improper for any familiarity between them.

"Get over it," she said to Naruto. "You're fine with me, you can deal with Ino."

Ino smiled appreciatively at Sakura and Naruto rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "It's not that. I just wasn't sure how many people you wanted to know about our agreement."

"Oh." Sakura blushed. "Right, sorry. Naruto's going to teach me some fighting techniques," she told Ino.

Ino grinned. "So you can kick Gaara's arse?"

Naruto laughed. "You better believe it!"

There was another knock at the door and, forgetting (or ignoring) protocol, Naruto opened it quickly. The servant held out a set of clothes and he took it, said, "thanks" then closed the door.

"I had these prepared for you," he said, unfolding the clothes.

Sakura gasped. Much like the clothes she'd borrowed for their challenge, these were designed for comfort and fighting. They even had the Wind kanji for "fight" on the back of them.

"I couldn't get you anything personalised right now," he said. "But we can look into that later."

"Thank-you so much," she said, accepting them from him and then throwing her arms around the blond boy.

"Aw." He grinned, hugging her tightly. "You're welcome."

"I'm sorry," she pulled away, wiping at her eyes. "I'm just overwhelmed."

"Well I did promise," he said, giving her the thumbs up sign.

She slapped his arm playfully. "Days ago."

"Had to wait for Gaara to leave," Naruto said. "He, uh, wouldn't agree to this, so shh." He pressed a finger to his lips. "Let's surprise him when he returns in a month yeah?"

Sakura smiled. "Okay."

It was their little secret, for now. Frankly, she didn't care if Gaara didn't like that she was doing this, but she hoped he would change his mind when he returned. This would be so much better if he didn't argue the toss with her for no reason. But she had a lot of work to do to convince him to let her fight. He wasn't utilising her in any sort of _personal servant_ way, so why not as a fighter?

"Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"Where did Gaara go?"

"I can't tell you. It's top secret."

"You don't know," Ino guessed.

"Hey! I know!" He sighed. "Not the details, but I do know where he's going. I can't say, sorry Sakura."

"It's fine."

He watched her fiddle with the clothes he'd given her, nervously. "I know it's not my place to suggest this, but have you considered maybe… taking him to bed?"

"What?!" She flushed at that. "I…uh…"

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as Ino sniggered. "I mean, the sexual tension between you two is palpable. And if you two, you know, bump uglies, you might feel better. I don't know. Sex is always a good tension breaker. It definitely helps me," he added with a wink that made her blush harder.

"You two are oddly cute," Ino said wistfully and Sakura glared at her.

"I'm not saying you have to marry him," Naruto said. "Lord knows he's got his father on his back about find a _proper_ wife." He shuddered.

"I don't want to know about that."

"Sorry. Just thought you two could get each other out of your systems. Think about it."

They went silent for a moment before the blond could handle it no longer. "Get dressed," he said, plopping down on her bed impatiently.

She nodded and headed into the bathroom.

"This is really nice of you," Ino said. "Mind if I tag along?"

"Sure!"

Sakura emerged a few minutes later and they made their way to the training grounds. Ino found an upturned log that had been turned into a stool and got comfortable. She was very interested in this, it seemed, her fingers clasping her maid's apron in anticipation.

"Let's do a rehash," Naruto suggested. "Quick spar to warm up."

Sakura agreed and chose the same sword she'd used last time, moving into position.

Naruto didn't go easy on her this time. She figured it was to show her just how much she had to learn. Her instincts were good, she just needed polished techniques. When she quickly found herself on the ground again, he was sheepish.

"Okay," he said, "let's start with the basics of chakra training."

If he was surprised that she knew what he was talking about, he didn't show it. Sakura had learned basic chakra training, but she was guessing Naruto's idea of basic was different to hers.

"The first part of your training is sensory," he said.

Naruto wanted her to be able to track his movements—to keep up with him visually. He ran her through a series of drills on _how_ to sense chakra before stepping up to a high tier exercise. Steeling herself as he disappeared from right in front of her, Sakura closed her eyes, and tried to use her chakra to detect his. It kind of worked like echolocation and was apparently an instinctive thing you were either good or bad at. It was also extremely frustrating for her, trying to find him, but her chakra control had always given her an advantage in training. She relaxed her muscles and controlled her breathing. It didn't take her long to sense him, but she couldn't pinpoint his location.

Frustrated, Sakura opened her eyes and was surprised to find him right in front of her. He smirked and then moved again, making her groan out loud.

"You have it in you to do the same," Naruto said. "You're faster than you give yourself credit for. Faster than me if you practise enough."

"Really?"

"Yep."

She wondered why her training was starting here, though.

As though he knew her thoughts, Naruto said, "Gaara's techniques are unique. I overpowered him with brute strength and stamina, but you'll have to rely on speed and guile."

She nodded. "Okay, makes sense."

Naruto did his disappearing trick. Sakura closed her eyes and could immediately sense his chakra again. Everyone had chakra, but you needed someone to show you how to use it. She felt it move through her body, push and pull as she focused on it—she felt Naruto's bright chakra a moment before hearing his voice.

"I'm here."

She kept her eyes closed, turning toward his voice. He moved again.

"Here, Sakura-chan!"

Naruto kept this up, expelling chakra as he drew her attention vocally, so she could get used to how to sense him. How to pinpoint where he was coming from. She was getting the hang of it, but it was draining. They took a lunch break after Naruto remembered he'd had the kitchen prepare food for them before coming to get her for their training.

"I should get back to work before I get shot out of a cannon," Ino told them, only half serious, and Sakura hugged her good-bye before settling down on the grass, cross legged, to join Naruto.

His appetite was _huge_! The cooks must've been aware of this, and the food kept coming. Naruto started talking about his fiancé, explaining in detail how beautiful she was and how lucky he was to get to know someone so sweet and fiercely loyal.

"Hinata's always had a crush on me," he said, blushing. "I was slow to catch on, but she got the better of me eventually."

"What are you doing in Suna?" She asked, before biting into her rice sandwich.

"I'm getting married in six months," he said. "Just making rounds in all the old haunts. Came here to see Gaara but, I guess it's fine he had to take off." He burped.

Sakura pulled a face at him, deciding not to pick that apart. They finished their food—Naruto having eaten most of it—and slowly got to their feet.

"I feel so stuffed!" He smacked his stomach. "Good eating!"

"Such a pig."

Naruto and Sakura both turned at the sound of the voice. It wasn't familiar to her, but Naruto was immediately pointing at the other man, annoyed. "You're late, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Sensei?" Sakura looked between them for a moment, then turned her scrutiny towards this _sensei_. He was tall, lean, and slouching against the entrance to the training grounds. His most distinguishing feature was a patch over his left eye, and the bottom of his face was covered a half-mask. He cocked his head toward Sakura curiously.

"Who's your lovely friend, Naruto?"

"Ah." Naruto reluctantly let his tardiness go, for now. "This is Sakura. Sakura, this is my good for nothing _perverted_ sensei."

"I'm touched by your reverence, Naruto. Really."

"You were worse than Jiraiya-sensei, and you know it."

Sakura giggled at them. "Are you a friend of Gaara's too Kakashi?"

At the same time Naruto said "yes," Kakashi said, "no."

"Eh, it's complicated," Kakashi said, when she looked confused. "Naruto insists all _his_ friends are Gaara's friends too by default, but Gaara doesn't like me very much."

"Gaara's just grumpy by nature, I told you that already! Stop taking it personally, Kakashi-sensei! He's just like Sasuke."

"Who?" Sakura asked.

"No-one important." Kakashi cleared his throat. "So, what's going on here? A little training?"

"Oh yeah! I'm teaching Sakura-chan how to kick Gaara's arse!"

The silver haired man grinned—or at least Sakura was sure that's what he was doing under that mask.

"In that case, I'll help."

"Bug off, old man!"

"It's fine," Sakura said, making Naruto pout. "The different styles will help this go faster."

"Yeah… I guess."

"What has Naruto showed you so far?"

Naruto ran down their training so far and Kakashi nodded along. "Okay. Well, let's test what her chakra nature is, shall we?"

"We have a time limit," Naruto said. "Gaara's scheduled back in a month and we want to surprise him, okay?"

Kakashi nodded. "I promise this won't take long."

He pulled out a small, square shaped piece of paper and started to talk about chakra natures to Sakura; it sounded like a rehearsed sermon.

"Why do you have that?" Naruto asked, finally paying attention to the paper—he hadn't been listening to the chakra discussion.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"Litmus Paper." He handed it to Sakura. "Pour your chakra into it."

She frowned down at it. "Okay." She concentrated for a moment before the paper crumbled and fell away in her hand.

"Interesting. Earth nature."

"Like Gaara." Naruto smirked and Sakura blushed.

"Gaara also has wind and lightning," Kakashi reminded him. "But yes, his main element is earth. Specifically, in his control of sand."

"Sand?" Sakura was a little overwhelmed by that. "I've never seen him manipulate sand."

"Well, you only fought him that once," Naruto said. "And he doesn't go all out when his opponent isn't using chakra. It's an honour code," he added defensively, when Sakura glowered at the reminder that Gaara had been toying with her.

"Honour my arse," she mumbled. She sighed. "How can my earth element help against Gaara?"

"It doesn't really," Kakashi said. "You can spend time learning lots of jutsu—" ("Jutsu?" She asked, and he ignored her.) "—but ultimately, since your main goal is to defeat Gaara, you'll have to take another route."

"Lightning is strong against earth, right?" Naruto asked.

"Good boy," Kakashi said, his eyes crinkling in good humour. "You're finally learning."

"Ah, shut up."

Kakashi chuckled. "Hm." He drawled, thinking. "Okay." He pushed Naruto toward Sakura. "I want you two to fight for a moment. Don't use your chakra, Naruto."

"Okay," the blond stumbled forward.

"What about me?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi smiled. She decided she quite liked that it crinkled his eyes like that. "Naruto's going to let you hit him—"

"What?!" Naruto interrupted. "She hits _hard_!"

"—and when you do," he said, ignoring the blond. "You're going to exert your chakra like you did with the Litmus Paper."

"This is going to _hurt_," Naruto whined.

"Don't worry about trying to hurt the poor baby," Kakashi said, laughing at Naruto's pout. "Just concentrate on expelling chakra. I need to see it; I have a hunch about something."

He lifted the patch that was covering his left eye and Sakura gasped at the swirl of red in it.

"Relax," he said. "And focus on the fight."

"I'm coming!" Naruto threw the first punch but missed.

Sakura was pleasantly surprised at how easily she dodged that. He was still faster, for now, but she felt a sense of pride at this accomplishment. His warning had helped, but she didn't care. She focused on doing as Kakashi had explained and forced chakra out of her body as she attacked Naruto—who was having trouble obeying the "let Sakura hit you" part of this fight.

After fifteen minutes of this, Kakashi ordered them to stop. Sakura was panting and Naruto was winded. She couldn't get the grin off her face. That was fun! Exhausting, but fun.

"Okay," Kakashi said. "I think I have you pegged. You're the genjutsu type."

"Genjutsu?"

"Simply put, they're illusion techniques."

Naruto frowned. "How can you tell?"

"Her Yin is strong," Kakashi said, but didn't elaborate other than to tap his left eye. "I think this might be how she can trick Gaara long enough to get under his ultimate defence."

Sakura frowned. "Ultimate defence?"

They both stared at her for a moment and she squirmed.

"Right." Naruto said. "You wouldn't know about that. But don't worry, Kakashi-sensei's on the case!"

Kakashi sighed.

He wasn't doing this for them, though he owed Naruto, and he was beginning to like this Sakura—and her spitfire attitude. No, he had a more personal motivation. He couldn't wait for this slight of a girl with the rare genjutsu potential to wipe that smug look off Gaara's obnoxious face.

…

XXX

...

**AN:** I absolutely adore the Sakura/Naruto/Kakashi dynamic. Makes me so nostalgic. :)

**R&R**

...


	5. Chapter 5

Hiya.

I hope everyone is doing well. :)

Something is coming (in this chapter) that I feel I _have_ properly foreshadowed, so hopefully you'll enjoy. ^_^

**…  
Chapter Five.  
...**

What should've taken a month had lasted the better part of two. Anger and resentment fuelled his very being as Gaara broke camp and led his battalion home in unpredictable weather; in the mornings it was sunny, in the afternoons raining. The only reprieve was the howling wind that rustled their tents when they made camp—at least they could get out of nature's way, then. Road weary and hungry soldiers marched behind him and he started to think about all the things in his life that led him to this point.

From a young age he'd always known how he would die—covered in blood, screaming for the death of the enemy, and revelling in the absolute chaos. It never bothered him. It was a good death he envisioned. A warrior's death; alone and yet surrounded. He cared for his family and his people, but there was something else, deep inside him, that hungered for the clash of steel over peace. For actions over words. A blood thirst that would leave a legacy all on its own.

And what he _didn't_ see happening was _pomp_. He hated ceremony, avoiding it wherever possible and giving his family no reason to include him in state affairs. It just wasn't _him_. But that was coming to an end and because of his responsibilities, his position in court, and his own sense of duty and honour, he could no longer avoid it. Because above everything else, he was a slave to these expectations. To his country, to his soldiers, and to his family.

_To my father._

In that way he wasn't too different from that idiot, Sasuke. He wanted his father's praise—_needed_ it—though he was loathed to follow through with the many things expected of him. But the current situation—the one his _king_ had put him in—divided his desires for that warrior's death from his needs to make his father proud.

In his spite, Gaara split up the travelling battalion and lowered the flags that would announce their arrival back in the capital. He was still very angry at his father's deception; this was more than a mission to merely rid the land of foreign spies. They were to draw the attention of Fire, faking standard military manoeuvres if questioned; and it worked, since the king had ordered his own army away from the outlying villages that Rasa _really_ wanted to sack.

_Everyone in their right mind is suspicious of standard, military manoeuvres along enemy borders._

And as such, Fire had played right into Rasa's hand. But that wasn't his father's deception. No, it was far worse than _that_.

"Lord Gaara!"

Gaara glanced back at Baki and shook his head. Baki didn't elaborate and took command of the second division as silently ordered. They were to patrol the forests as Rasa had ordered Gaara to do. Instead, the sand prince took only his personal guard as he made his way home. They skipped the parade and welcome home feast this time. Gaara just wanted to sneak into the castle, undetected, and wallow in how out of control his life was becoming.

_Sakura._

His thoughts were traitorous. The last eight weeks had not had the desired effect when it came to the pinkette. They had not lessened his _urges_. After all, Gaara was a man—red blooded, fully functional, and well aware of the allure of the female body. And a such, _she_ had drawn his attention. He had an uncontrollable attraction to a foreigner who loathed him and took pleasure in fighting him. And as it turned out, slaughtering hundreds of enemy soldiers did nothing to lower his libido. It did not make _her_ any less desirable.

Gaara could never have predicted that.

He had his father breathing down his neck about his obligations. And he was being ignored by the councillors and his father about his concerns over the unusual activity on the border to the Land of Rice Patties.

Something was going to give, and someone _else_ was going to pay for these blunders.

His thoughts flitted back to Sakura again and Gaara felt his anger wane. She was something he couldn't have, that he'd never really wanted, but he _would_ if he knew he could keep her—if only for a night. It was so tempting to just go to her room, lock the door behind himself, and take her. He desperately wanted to.

He remembered Kankuro telling him that the abstinence before marriage was a fairy tale dream that wasn't realistic. Gaara would chalk that up to his brother's whorish ways if Temari hadn't immediately chimed in, in agreement. Now he could only imagine Sakura when he remembered that day. Not that it mattered anymore.

Two months away from her hadn't tempered his desire, like he'd hoped. He wasn't a whore like his brother; Gaara was big on honour, duty, and fidelity. He had no intention of whoring around, even for the sake of his libido, or finding out what the big deal was about sex. And he would continue to ignore his attraction, as he had always done when he found himself this interested in the female body. It was too distracting.

And even though it had been months since her arrival in Suna City, he didn't really know Sakura well enough to be having these _feelings_. Whatever they really were. Just her mere presence excited him enough to know that was too dangerous a road to go down.

"Gaara!"

Kankuro and Temari had anticipated his arrival, despite everything, waiting for him at an unguarded side entrance. Either Baki or someone from his personal guard had told on him. It was so childish. The anger returned in full force and Gaara stormed away from his siblings, intent on retiring to his room.

"Gaara?"

He ignored them as he fumed. His father had set him up for this, had blindsided him, and Gaara was _not_ happy. Even knowing it would happen eventually, and even after years of having it drummed into his head, he wasn't happy about this particular duty. Though he was honour bound to go through with it, and he would, the redhead had no qualms about showing his resentment.

"_This is not up for discussion_."

Gaara grabbed an expensive vase and threw it against the wall.

His father was a _dick_.

**…**

Hours later, Gaara had calmed enough to receive visitors and was glad when Naruto came to visit him _alone_. The last thing he needed right now was an impromptu visit from the bane of his existence, or the cause of his anger.

"So," Naruto said, drawling. "You're dad's a dick, huh."

Gaara scoffed. Understatement. There was never any doubt. He looked over at Naruto, wondering what the blond was still doing here.

"What are you still doing in Suna?"

"Nice deflection," Naruto grinned. "But okay, I'll play. I've been getting to know your pinkette."

Gaara sat up suddenly, angry. "What?"

"Woah!" Naruto offered his hands up. "Not like that."

The redhead huffed and flopped back on his bed again, staring at the ceiling of the canopy.

"I really do think you should just bed her. You'd both be better off for it."

_Like she'd let me touch her._

Gaara scoffed.

"I'm serious," Naruto said. "The tension between you both is incredible. I can only imagine how great the sex would be."

Gaara threw an arm over his face to hide his blush.

"And I've been testing out her battle skills."

The redhead sat up slowly, not as angrily as the blond had feared he would, levelling him with a stern look.

"Give her a chance," Naruto said quickly. "You're having the men of her tribe learn basic fighting skills to join your army in return for protection and a good life. Which is fine," he added when Gaara growled. "But she's something else, Gaara. Given the proper training, she could level that army with a single blow."

"Who are you training her to fight?" This sounded like he was unconcerned that any potential power of Sakura's could be used against Fire.

"We're friends, Gaara. It's been a great couple of months without your brooding getting in the way of that. And besides, she has no love for Fire. The old man abandoned her people, remember?"

"You're too naive."

Naruto grinned. "Maybe, but she deserves the right to show us what she can do. She may be a woman, but she's not interested in being a lady."

_Just like Temari_, went unsaid.

It didn't make her any less feminine and the warrior lifestyle suited her. Gaara's sister was a formidable warrior. She'd given up any right to lead their country (as the first born) because she wanted to fight—and the laws of Wind were incredibly sexist about that. She was the strongest of Gaara's siblings. He respected her. He wouldn't want to piss her off, even though he could wipe the floor with her.

But that nagging voice in the back of his head that sounded like Kankuro's teasing reminded Gaara that if Sakura followed Temari's path, that he could never have her in the way he _wanted_ her. He closed his eyes, trying to control his breathing. Images of her writhing underneath him, touching him in ways he'd never let anyone else touch him, invaded his mind.

Despite his determination to abstain, he really _did_ want sex… and his imagination conjured everything from what Sakura would look naked to how she would feel as he thrusted into her and all he could do was blush.

Gaara started as a soft cushion hit him in the face.

"Wow." Naruto grinned. "How often is your guard _this_ down? You must really be conflicted."

"Shut up."

The blond just chuckled. Then grew serious. "Let her earn her place. You won't be disappointed."

Silence.

"Besides, I'm not the only one that's noticed the sexual tension between you two."

Gaara threw the cushion back at his obnoxious friend.

**…**

Sakura knew Gaara was back. Nobody else would have bothered to send servants to gather up all the clothes and trinkets she'd amassed (which wasn't all that much, really) and have her moved to an even larger, more lavish room with a better view of the city below, and a larger library; this room seemed to be part of a massive tower within a wing of the palace and if she could bring herself to get up early enough, she'd have a great view of the sunrise. Nobody but Gaara would do this without coming to tell her that's what they were doing. She just woke up one morning with maids fussing over her and urging her to dress and then follow them.

It was odd and for some reason, didn't piss her off. The fact that he was back, seemed to stifle any anger she might've felt about this impertinence. He'd been gone two months instead of one and Sakura would be lying if she said that hadn't worried her.

The rigours of war were alien to her, but she'd heard stories. Her father had been a soldier in his youth, which was why he cast such an imposing figure. Sakura sighed at that thought.

_Best to put it out of my head, for now._

She waited a whole day to see if Gaara would come to visit her, and when he didn't, Sakura went looking for him. She tried the gardens first, admiring the peony, chrysanthemum, and hydrangea, then moved into the training grounds. It was eerily quiet here, making her nervous. There had been a bustle in the palace lately, like the servants were preparing for something—or the arrival of something. But today, everything was strangely silent. The few servants that she saw were clearly loitering and looking confused as to what to do.

Sakura moved through the palace, checking the places she knew he normally frequented, becoming more and more disheartened by his absence. She was considering asking a servant if they'd seen him when it occurred to her that he'd returned without fanfare.

_What if he'd snuck back?_

Hm. Sakura did find Kakashi in the main library however, and he gave her a knowing smile when she asked him if Gaara was indeed back. She took that as an affirmative.

"You're weird, Kakashi-sensei."

"It's been said." He waved her away with a genial air and she shook her head before leaving.

Tired, Sakura decided to return to her new room and wait for Ino's scheduled arrival to change her linen.

_Maybe she's heard something._

The servants would probably know best on this, since they had to have gotten their orders from _someone_ to move her to the new room. And Ino was the safest person to ask. Sakura pulled the double doors of her new room open and strode inside, stopping in her tracks after a few steps, her breath catching in her throat.

_Gaara._

He was waiting for her, sitting on the settee at the end of her bed. She licked her lips as he stared at her, not missing the way his eyes darted to her mouth before returning to her eyes.

"You're back," she said.

He nodded and stood.

"What's with the new room?"

"You told Naruto you were bored with the view."

Sakura laughed, moving closer to him as he stood still. "So, you ordered a small army of servants to relocate me?"

He frowned.

"You're very weird." Her commented reminded her of what she'd said to Kakashi. "Did Naruto say anything else about—"

"You're not joining the army."

Sakura groaned. "Why? What the hell is wrong with—"

"We're not talking about this."

"Stop!"

Gaara froze as he'd turned to leave. Had he just come here to tell her that? Sakura fought the urge to throttle him.

"I am not weak," she said to his back. "I can fight. I _want_ to—"

Gaara spun to glare at her. "You made a vow, Sakura."

"_You'll become my personal servant and your brigade will join my guard, to do what I want when I want."_

"I know what I agreed to," she growled.

"Then this discussion is over."

Sakura rushed forward and stood in front of the door, blocking his exit. "I'm not your personal servant, Gaara. That's what you said I had to be, remember? So, put me to work. Or are you afraid I'll—"

He sighed. "Would you like for me to break the promise? Does honour mean nothing to you, woman?"

She clenched her fists. "Fuck you, Gaara. You made that agreement with me knowing full well I didn't stand a chance. You took advantage of my ignorance of your real power. _Fuck_ your idea of honour."

Gaara closed the distance between them, stopping just within arm's reach of her. He fought down the sudden urge to kiss her; the righteous fury emanating from her was intoxicating.

"_I can only imagine how great the sex would be."_

Naruto's offhand comment was giving Gaara's body _ideas_.

He snarled at Sakura. "So, what, you thought you'd train, and I'd change my mind? If vows mean so little to you, then perhaps I should do what my father thinks I'm doing and _fuck_ you—"

He broke off as Sakura slapped him, surprising them both. In his anger and frustration and confliction, she'd gotten under his guard. Just as Naruto had, with that fucking _cushion_ of all things.

_What the fuck is wrong with me today?_

He lifted a hand to touch his face, his skin stinging and raw. Sakura didn't back down, despite being as startled by her actions as he was. She looked him straight in the eye and spat out, "arsehole."

Gaara grabbed her shoulders roughly, spun her around and pushed her against the wall, away from the door. As her shoulders hit the wall, she let out an involuntary grunt, but he ignored this, holding her arms up, using the rest of his body to keep hers in place.

It did not escape either of them how snug and warm his pelvis felt against hers.

What gave Gaara pause however, was how close her mouth was to his suddenly. He licked his lips and ghosted them over hers, without touching, achingly close. He stared into her eyes. And that was when he finally noticed her flushed expression, her deep breathing, and the way she swallowed nervously as he stared at her.

_I was wrong._

She was attracted to him. She wanted him. Perhaps just as much as he wanted her. But her anger was driving them both insane and Sakura didn't seem willing to let it go long enough to accept any physical advance he might make on her. Absentmindedly, he shifted, eliciting a moan from the woman he'd pinned, snapping him out of his reverie. He'd just unconsciously grounded his hips into hers.

_Fuck._

If he kept going, he wouldn't be able to stop. That didn't sound like a bad thing, but it suddenly terrified him; regardless of what Sakura thought of his _honour_, he was determined to keep it intact. His father was arranging an engagement for him. He couldn't do _this_, no matter what his siblings or Naruto said about it. Gaara moved his head, brushing his lips against her ear, taking a moment to revel selfishly in the way her body trembled.

"I can't do this."

Gaara didn't even realise he'd spoken out loud as he released his hold on Sakura and stormed out of the room, leaving her confused, bereft, and devastated. She slid down the wall, not bothering to stop the tears, and curled up into herself.

**…**

"Wakey, wakey, my little Lady."

Sakura groaned.

Light filtered into her room as Ino set about opening the large curtains leading to the balcony, and bustled about, getting everything tidied. Sakura was messy by nature, though not a slob; she'd left a jug, a glass, and their tray on the floor, not to mention the blanket fort she'd built her sad sack self in her misery the previous night.

The sharp pain in her head reminded Sakura that jug had been full of wine the night before; she'd ordered it after Gaara had left.

_Gaara._

That arsehole both excited and pissed her off and now she was mostly confused. Her anger turned to gut wrenching rejection and she couldn't hold back a sob, just remembering the way he'd denied her, drawing Ino's attention.

"_I can't do this."_

Why? And what the hell was holding him back? She'd sat through tales from Naruto about his own sexual exploits and heard a thing or two from Kankuro's days both prior to his own marriage and during it, the whore. (He _apparently_ alternated his time between Suna, and the small castle gifted to him and his wife from her father—both of whom he avoided whenever he could.) Even Temari had humoured her with detailed descriptions of her past lovers. It was a natural thing to talk about. To _do_.

So why was _Gaara_, of all people, denying himself something he obviously wanted? He'd never particularly struck her as someone who abstained from his own wants and needs. He came across as too selfish for that.

After Naruto's reluctance to talk about Gaara's sexual history with her, Temari pretending to be deaf when she asked, and Kankuro's knowing smirk, Sakura had a feeling the redhead had never been with a woman before. She wondered if he was her age, like she'd assumed—he looked it. And it was rare, as far as she knew, for someone to still be _untouched_ once they left their teen years. What was the point of waiting? Sakura hadn't. But then she hadn't been raised in a place of overdone propriety and sexist monarchs. In her village, life was too short to wait _this_ long.

_Things were simpler back then._

"Sakura, are you okay?"

Sakura shook her head and poured her heart out to her friend, who sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand, patting it gently. Like a best friend would, Ino let her finish and then proceeded to eviscerate the redhead's personality and make ludicrous claims about his penis.

It made Sakura laugh and she nearly fell out of bed. "Thank-you, Ino."

The blonde hugged her. "You're welcome. Either he'll come around or he'll miss out on the best thing that could've happened to him. Not your fault, okay?"

Sakura nodded, grateful that Ino wasn't giving her attitude about this. She couldn't even fully understand her own attraction to the redhead: whom she didn't know as well as she'd like to. The last thing she needed was for someone to point out how ridiculous she was being.

She stood, attempting to pull herself out of her funk, and got ready for her day. She was used to the long preparations now; the make-up, the dress, and the styling. She sat as though numb but tried to listen to Ino's gossip and smile along with her. They took a stroll in the gardens to get her some fresh air and after lunch, she changed again, meeting Naruto and Kakashi in the training grounds. Gaara was otherwise occupied, so Naruto's rationalisation was that he couldn't stop what he didn't know was happening.

Sakura had no idea how much of the night before that Naruto knew of, but the training was a nice distraction.

Afterwards, when she'd bathed, redressed into finer clothes, and returned to her room, her tutor was waiting for her.

"You're early," Sakura said.

"Your session will be early today because I have been requested for other duties tonight."

Sakura didn't know what to make of the smile on her face. It was so out of character and _unnatural_ on her. "What are you so happy about?"

The tutor tutted at her. "Haven't you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"It's all over the palace," she says. "We just found out. And she'll be arriving today!"

Sakura had no idea what she could be referring to, but a heavy weight had settled in her stomach. "Who?"

"Lord Gaara's fiancée, of course!"

…

XXX

...

**AN:** Don't hit that back button! There will be no love triangle and nor was this revelation added to add drama … the way you might be thinking it was. The level of angst is going to rise, but … this is hard to explain without giving it away, but I'll be taking a different road from what might be the cliché "expected" path when something like this is introduced, so please stay tuned and bear with me.

I don't like fics where the author inserts a side love interest or suddenly introduces a love triangle or some such, many chapters in (without warning, and just to rock the boat). *shudders* So, don't worry: that's not what this is. :)

**R&R**

...


	6. Chapter 6

Hiya.

If you're still reading this, I love you guys. :)

Enjoy. ^_^

…**  
Chapter Six.  
...**

Sakura stood on the balcony of her room, horrified, as the procession carrying Gaara's imminent fiancée crawled up the main street, making its way toward the palace. The banner held the Oto royal emblem and the sight of the gold and black colour scheme made it all feel so much more real. Her heart raced as she rubbed her clammy hands together, trying to pull her eyes away, to no avail.

_This _was Gaara's problem the night before. _This_ was why he pulled away from her. But as much as Sakura might admire another man for being honourable about not sleeping with another while promised to another, she couldn't help but hate Gaara for clinging to this sense of duty.

His idea of honour could go fuck itself.

As much as it pained her to admit, she wanted to kick his arse only slightly less than she want sleep with him. Even if only once, she wanted him. Needed him. Gods, she'd break every law in this country and her own to make it happen. And therein lay her _own_ problem: her emotions. She was so easy to string along, it was disgusting. And for her own sakes, she needed to let him go.

She ignored the knock on her door and forgot about it as she kept vigilance over the procession down in the streets. The sounds of the people celebrating was muffled noise in the background. Servants of the Oto royal court had arrived moments before, in the palace, to help prepare for their princess's stay.

_Stay._

Sakura snorted at that thought. As though this was some long weekend celebration and the woman would be going back to her real home when it was over. She sighed, forcing herself out of her self-pity and shook her head, trying to shake these thoughts from her head. She started suddenly when a hand touched her shoulder gently; Ino had let herself into Sakura's room and shuffled up behind the pinkette.

She'd been working on the new rooms as well, and leant closer to Sakura, conspiratorially. "Wanna know what I found out from the handmaidens?"

Sakura sniffed.

"Lord Gaara's never met her," Ino said. "And some biddies are saying that she has been fighting this arrangement tooth and nail. Rumours from Lady Karin's own handmaidens is that they don't think she'll even go through with this."

This was little comfort to Sakura, who was imagining all manner of scenario where she was forced to live as a kept woman in a tower, to a man who had no use for her, and became a spinster and the laughing stock of the Suna noble ladies. It was a depressing scene. She let out a loud sigh.

_I need to get out of here._

She had no claim to him. She had no right to be jealous. She hadn't known him long enough to have this strong a desire for him. He wasn't _hers_.

Ino handed a handkerchief to Sakura as she lost control of her tears.

"I'm so pathetic."

"You fell for someone who was out of your reach," Ino said. "I did that too."

Sakura turned to face her, as Ino stepped up next to her, glaring at Lady Karin's carriage. "Who was he?"

"A fire noble named Sasuke Uchiha."

"Naruto's friend."

Ino's smile was twisted. "Yes. A beautiful man. Grumpy. Standoffish. Made all the girls want to 'save' him from his emo self."

Sakura chuckled, despite herself. "Naruto did say Gaara and Sasuke were alike."

"I see the resemblance. In personality," Ino added, when the pinkette's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "They're both attractive of course, but in different ways. It's hard to explain. But… Sasuke has this allure to him that makes you want to take care of him."

"You sound like you still love him."

"Perhaps I do."

Sakura turned in time to watch the procession disappear. They were now in front of the palace and would soon disappear into the receiving hall.

"Maybe… you and I." She sighed. "We could leave here together."

Ino snorted. "Oh," she said, when Sakura frowned. "You're serious."

Sakura froze at the sound of a horn blaring in the distance.

"Wait!" Ino called after her as Sakura took off, throwing her door open and not bothering to close it behind her. Ino did it for her, quickly, then ran after the pinkette. It was soon clear where Sakura was headed when the blonde caught up with her, ducking her head as she found herself among nobles with their noses in the air the moment they saw her.

Ino stuck close behind Sakura, making it look like she'd been ordered to follow here, struggling to control her own emotions at what was about to happen. The pinkette was her _friend_, regardless of the difference in their current social status. And Ino was nothing if not fiercely loyal to the few people she could stand to be around.

She hated that Sakura was going through this. And it hit very close to home from her own experience. Arranged marriages and political duty were the death of love. And somehow, she doubted either Gaara or Sakura would be the type to use each other once he took his vows.

Ino risked a look up without raising her head too much.

They were on a balcony, overlooking the throne room. By protocol, all arriving noble guests greeted the king here before retiring to their room. And there was no way that Lady Karin would be exempt from that. Ino glanced at the sorrowful look on Sakura's face when she saw that Gaara and his siblings stood by the king and queen on the throne dais. The pinkette swallowed heavily at the sight of him, decked out in royal attire, far more proper and lavish than the usual, fine silks he wore.

It really drove home how _important_ his position was.

Hushed whispers from those gathered preceded Karin's arrival; the double doors opened dramatically to reveal a large man practically dragging a woman behind him. The Oto emblem and ostentatious wardrobe left no doubt who either of them were.

"The honourable King Zōsui and Lady Karin," a servant just inside the room announced, bowing.

Karin was beautiful; a redhead like Gaara, her skin was naturally pale. Her footsteps were uncoordinated as her father pulled her along, but Sakura imagined she normally walked as regally as the people in the balcony she herself was currently surrounded by. There was something about the way people held themselves when they'd been raised in high society their whole lives.

Sakura couldn't look at Gaara again, her eyes transfixed on the sour face of Lady Karin and remembering the rumours Ino had heard that she didn't want this engagement. The situation was horrifying for her too and hope blossomed in the cherry blossom's heart.

The royals put on airs and greeted each other, but Sakura's eyes were glued to Karin. She was struggling with some sort of internal battle, clenching her fists, pulling faces, and the moment her father finally let go of her wrist, Karin stepped backward, turned and fled from the room with all the dignity she could muster.

Immediately, everyone started whispering and King Rasa looked enraged as he started in on this Oto king; Karin's father looked just as angry. The formal atmosphere broke and the twittering nobles openly gaped at the situation. If this had been someone else's life, Sakura might have laughed at how ridiculous they were all being. She struggled not to smile.

And behind her, Ino was fighting her own grin. It would not do to reveal how Karin's public disrespect of the king and his family made her happy. She was happy this was turning out this way, and not just for Sakura's sake. Arranged marriages were the devil.

Ino glanced down at Gaara who looked unruffled, wondering if he was glad of this too. From Sakura's description of his actions the night before, he'd be more than happy to replace Karin with someone else.

_With Sakura,_ she thought wickedly. If she could do anything to help with that, she _would_. But for now, she remained quiet as the king didn't seem to be slowing down in his rage at Lord Zōsui about respect and laws and _dishonour_, her mind whirring with ideas.

Sakura inhaled deeply, controlling her emotions as she contemplated what this might mean.

A moment later, her eyes drifted and green met jade, and the rest of the world disappeared around them.

**...**

King Rasa did not have a bulky kind of muscle, but nor was his body reedy or lanky; his imposing nature came from his arrogance, stubbornness, abrasiveness, and the fact that he towered most people. Even those who were taller than him. His reputation cautioned the same care that one would expect of a legendary warrior—and he was a great warrior. As he paced in front of his youngest son and wife, he reminded them of that reputation by delivering cutting insults and admonishing them about the obligations they'd all agreed to in order to make this arranged marriage with Oto happen. And what would happen if they failed.

They needed this trade partner if Wind was to survive. Short of Fire, Oto had the best farming land and didn't hate them enough to attack them. For now.

Rasa glared at Gaara as though this was all his fault. "I don't care if her father has to drag her down that aisle, you're getting married. The Oto region is not involved in this war right now and when winter comes, we will need their support."

Or they would die. If they had a hope of salvaging their economic problems, they needed to expand into other lands, and there was no better way to do that than through treaties and marriage. It was all about strategy.

_Why am I surprised? _Gaara thought.

His father was a brilliant strategist, and this was hardly an odd occurrence; Kankuro's marriage was a loveless, arranged affair, which explained his other _affairs_. It was just the way things were.

Gaara tuned him out, staring out the window as his mother flipped through the latest wedding catalogue because she knew he didn't have any interest in planning this charade of an event.

He could see the training grounds from this window—but not the balcony one. Naruto and that bastard Kakashi were training Sakura down there. It was clear even from this distance who was whom. He watched her form as she struck toward Kakashi and felt immense pride as the copy ninja didn't evade the blow, regardless of the fact that he guarded well against her strength.

She was incredible, despite her inexperience. She was the epitome of a warrior woman and it pained him to know she'd been born in a backwater region, where she couldn't receive the training she _deserved_.

"Gaara, dear?" His mother asked gently. "Would you favour a waist coat or chángpáo for the reception?"

An image of Sakura in her cheongsam the night he'd worn a chángpáo to dinner popped into his head.

"Waist coat."

Anything that reminded him of the one he really wanted would not do. The cheongsam and chángpáo would be relegated to the back of his mind just as they sat, ignored, in their respective closets. He continued to watch the cherry blossom, torturing himself even though he'd decided to keep his eyes off of her from now on.

And as the sun began to set and Rasa was finally done lecturing Gaara on what was expected of him—as though afraid Karin's stubbornness was contagious—the three fighters began to wind down. Gaara watched as they chatted and laughed and packed the weapons away. That blonde maid appeared and escorted Sakura out of Gaara's sight. Kakashi and Naruto remained to talk for a moment before going their separate ways as well.

It hit Gaara hard then, like a stabbing wound to the stomach, and he held an arm over his midsection instinctively.

_Sakura deserves better than what I've done to her._

Come tomorrow, he was going to give her the green light to stop those ridiculous tutoring sessions and start training alongside her kin in the Wind army. He needed her out of his sight and mind and somewhere where she could thrive.

_Kankuro is right._

Gaara was trying to turn Sakura into a proper Wind noble in that vain hope that he could claim her. It had happened unconsciously at first, but now he was doing it on purpose—he didn't have such designs the moment he saw her in her village. It was just an admiration of her beauty on top of the shock of this warrior he'd acknowledged had innate skill, was a woman. But the more he watched her and heard about her through those that deigned to spend time with her, the more he realised she was everything he'd avoided over the years—the kind of woman he _did_ want to share his bed and his heart.

One who was easy to respect because she had a mind of her own, goals of her own, and shared his desire for the battlefield. He could only imagine how provocative and riveting life with someone like that would be.

Gaara didn't get to know her more personally because there was one glaring problem.

She would never be a noble. She would never be like Karin or any of the simpering ladies of court. And while that didn't bother him in the slightest, it created a barrier between them in the eyes of society and duty. In his father's eyes, she would never be worthy of him, and Gaara had to accept it. He _would_ accept it. Even as it tore his heart into pieces and shattered what hopes and dreams, he _might_ have entertained.

...

A week later found Sakura dressed up again, but for a reason she'd actually been looking forward to.

All week she'd been training with her kin, the warriors from her village, and had caught up with her friends amidst tears and hugs. She had no idea what had changed Gaara's mind, but she was grateful. They told her how Gaara had honoured part of her original challenge from that day in their village. He didn't need to do it, but he'd had their friends and families settled into better land (an arrangement with the free cities) where they could begin to farm and start a better life.

He'd done this, despite the fact that he'd beaten her in their challenge. And her father was doing very well.

_Why didn't he tell me? _She'd thought, tearing up.

Maybe he wanted to maintain a sense of superiority or pomp. Or maybe he'd felt guilty because he _had_ taken advantage of her ignorance in that duel. But either way, what damage would it have done to him to let her know? She was moved by this show of respect, but also annoyed that he'd let her fear for her people in further ignorance.

"Ready, my lady?"

Sakura giggled, taking Naruto's offered arm and pretending to be prim and proper as he led her out of the palace, a grin on his face. The guards watched them pass through the checkpoints but said nothing. Everyone knew the blond best friend of Gaara had taken the pink haired savage girl under his wing. And everyone _knew_ she was training with their soldiers now. The difference in the level of respect for those in the court between the respect for soldiers was startling. But her position was unique, as she had been given official command of what was being nicknamed (apparently fondly) by the regular Wind soldiers as _Regiment Riffraff_.

She sighed, pushing that out of her head. Today was about the markets and hopefully finding a weapon of her own among the vendors. It was too expensive for her to go straight to the blacksmiths, so a premade sword would have to do. She'd always dreamed of having one custom made, but that could wait.

When they made it to the markets, Sakura let Naruto lead the way, as he'd clearly been down here before. The vendors waved to him and he grinned and greeted them. They took the time to try some free samples before moving on to the arms district of the markets and Naruto introduced her to the best source of high-quality weapons in the whole city.

_Buki Masutā Emporium._

Excited and almost as bubbly as Naruto, Sakura perused the wares with vigour. She'd never seen so many weapons in her life! She had to check the labels to figure out what a lot of them were; there were spears, battle axes, great swords, bows, scimitars, crossbows, flails, halberds, batons, daggers, and numerous more. She felt like a kid in a candy store. But because she'd only ever trained in swords, she reluctantly pulled her eyes away from all the other weapons and hovered over the one-handed sword displays. Each and every one was beautifully crafted, and it made Sakura realise she wasn't going to be able to afford any of them.

Yet.

She frowned as the proprietor scurried over to them and Naruto engaged him in conversation like an old friend. But one of the swords did stand out more than the others, to her. It was Wind designed but had a size and shape similar to the one she'd been trained on back home. There were additions of gold inlay on the hilt and symbols carved on the steel itself—meaning it was perfect for chakra wielders—but she could see herself easily adapting to what differences there were.

"Would you like to feel it's balance, milady?" the proprietor asked.

Despite her lack of funds, Sakura nodded her head. And she was right. It felt powerful and light in her hands, the weight and feel reminiscent of what she was used to. The storekeeper prattled on about this particular item, selling its beauty and versatility as well as its craftsmanship. It had been forged by the best blacksmith in the city. A renown Wind craftsman that was unmatched by all others. Apparently. But, giving the sword a few practise swings, she could definitely believe the hype.

"Don't you want it?" Naruto asked as she handed it back to the proprietor, who looked disappointed at her.

"I'll have to save up for it."

"But Gaara gives you money, yeah?"

"Not enough."

She received a stipend from Gaara, which was the defining part of what made her a kept woman, but it was not a lavish amount. Probably because he didn't have permission from the king to dig into the coffers of the royal vault. But it was more money than she'd ever had in her life, and the amount didn't bother her.

"I could—"

"I don't want to rob you, Naruto."

He looked sheepish. "I feel like I'm just parading things in front of you that you can't have, then."

"I'll have to save up," she insisted. "But I'm grateful to see what I'll be getting."

He nodded, then bowed and apologised to the storekeeper before leading her out. "You'll have the best sword in the city by the time you challenge Gaara and kick his arse!"

Sakura giggled. She'd forgotten about that. But since he'd returned and she was still training, she'd assumed it was off the cards. Gaara certainly wouldn't take her seriously if she challenged him right now. No matter how far she'd come and how confident both Naruto and Kakashi had become in her skills, she still needed more time. If she challenged him now, Gaara would still _win_. But maybe it wasn't completely out of the question to happen, one day. It was a good goal to have, despite everything else.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Until then I'll just have to keep training."

"Yeah!" Naruto threw a fist in the air, making her laugh. "Where to now, my lady?"

They ambled back to the food market and took lunch at Naruto's favourite ramen stand before heading to the clothing vendors; the blond was so bored as Sakura picked out a cheongsam that was basically a cherry blossom version of the one she'd worn to that dinner months ago, that he almost fell asleep against the stall. She remembered that night sadly as she laughed at the blond but couldn't help but buy the dress.

_Just in case._

With her dress wrapped up and Naruto now wide awake, he complained about being hungry. Again. Before they could take a step further, a young female voice caught Sakura's ear and she turned her head toward her instinctively.

"She's beautiful and ma says that's all you need to be a Wind princess."

Someone nearby was discussing Gaara's fiancée. Sakura stilled, tilting her head again, but Naruto urged her forward.

"Don't torture yourself," he said, and she reluctantly kept walking.

Until this reminder, Karin had been out of her mind for hours; Sakura took to avoiding her in the castle, not wanting a reminder of the person that she felt was stealing Gaara (though she knew it wasn't true). But rumours abound and there was no way of avoiding it. Sakura was a masochist and so let Ino tell her everything that was spreading like wildfire among the servants.

Karin made Naruto seem mature. She wasn't handling this in a lady like manner, lashing out at everyone; and her demeanour got worse as her father left her to return home, taking all their servants with him and leaving it to Wind servants to keep an eye on her. She was alone in the palace. Among people that either hated her or didn't care that she was being held against her will.

Sakura swallowed heavily and pushed down that surge of sympathy, forcing herself to focus on the fruit stall in front of her.

Naruto picked up a piece of fruit Sakura didn't recognise (must be a Wind delicacy) and tasted it, talking around his mouthful. "Mm. This is good."

"And it's also ten ryō," the vendor said gruffly, and blushing at the reminder of his candour, Naruto fished the money out of his wallet, and handed it over to the man.

When they were finally done—and Naruto's appetite was satiated—Sakura insisted they return to the palace. They parted at the entrance, Naruto claiming he was supposed to meet up with Gaara soon anyway, and she gave him a grimace goodbye instead of a smile, at the reminder of the redhead.

It had been a great day, and Sakura was riding high as she took her usual route past the gardens, but then stopped suddenly at the sound of someone sobbing. She looked around, trying to find the source, and it took her a few minutes, as the person in question was hunched between the chrysanthemum beds on the north wall, which was more like a hedge.

_Karin._

Instinct made her take a step backwards in revulsion but Sakura's natural tendency toward sympathy took over and before she knew it, she was striding over to her and crouching down next to the sobbing woman.

Karin started at the feel of Sakura's hand on her arm but then surprisingly relaxed at the sight of her.

"Sorry," Sakura said. "I'm Sakura."

Karin nodded but said nothing. She obviously didn't know who she _really_ was.

"Are you okay? Can I help you with something?" The pinkette pushed.

Maybe it was because she'd asked so nicely or perhaps because she just hadn't heard a single nice word from anyone since arriving here, but Sakura's question opened up a new flood of tears from the beautiful woman. She grabbed the pinkette's arm and pushed her face into Sakura's shoulder.

Sakura felt so bad for ignoring her and hating her on principle. Here was someone who was suffering, and all Sakura had been thinking about was herself. She wrapped an arm around her in a half hug, squeezing her shoulders tightly in a show of solidarity.

Karin settled down long enough to let out a long sniff, like she was trying to breathe through water instead of air. "I don't want this," she said, and Sakura stiffened in the redhead's arms. Karin didn't seem to either notice or care, continuing. "I can't marry that beast. I'd rather _die_. I was supposed to be with…"

She broke off, realising she'd said too much.

"You're in love with someone else," Sakura said. She didn't need to ask.

Karin nodded, seeming to relax. After a few minutes, she pulled away, muttered, "thank-you" then curtsied and walked away.

Sakura was speechless.

She quickly retreated to her room, where Ino was waiting, pretending to be disappointed in Sakura that she'd returned later than she'd promised, and told the blonde what happened.

Ino smirked. What an _interesting_ turn of events.

…

XXX

...

**AN:** In canon, we only know about Karin's mother. I took her father's name in this story from the leader of Kusagakure – where Karin's mother had moved them to, before her death in canon. It won't impact anything in** this** story, but Karin's mother still came from Kusagakure, but had moved to Oto where she became queen. She's also deceased here. And just like his canon inspiration, this Zōsui is also an unfeeling bastard.

Unnecessary backstory explanation but I wanted to share that.

**R&R**

...


	7. Chapter 7

Hiya.

I forgot to post this yesterday, sorry.

Enjoy. ^_^

**…  
Chapter Seven.  
...**

There is an old but tested Fire idiom that says, "_kindness can accomplish what force cannot_".

Sakura lived by her own code, as all warriors do, but it was the softer side of her (the tender heart) that embodied this quote. The saying didn't belong to just nobles or only peasants—it was one of those rare expressions used by them all. Her mentor, her father, her mother, her friends; at any given point in her life, they'd given her the strength to be kind to others as well as pummel them into the ground. This was reflected in both her temper and her compassion.

This was why she felt guilty using the idiom to excuse her plans for Karin. Force was not going to solve this problem. She couldn't just walk up to the king and tell him the wedding was off. Gaara would also be out of the question—even if she didn't agree with his brand of honour, he _had it_. This was clearly a matter of both honour and duty for him. This was up to her.

So, for the next week following her encounter with the lady of Oto, Sakura made a point of running into her, using acts of kindness to get her to open up and confide in her. As it turned out, the man she was in love with was called Suigetsu and he was a warlord's son, which was why she couldn't be with him; her father was adamant on her marrying someone of noble birth. And of getting her out of his hair, apparently. Suigetsu was a peasant, not a noble. It had all the markings of star-crossed lovers and Sakura was a sucker for it; and not just because of her own situation.

"But he's not _ignoble_," Karin said, flushing as she spoke of him. "Yes, he grew up in a warlord's home, but he's better than that. He's wise and smart and handsome." She gushed, fanning herself. "I would not have given myself to anyone less than that."

The topic of sex only seemed to fluster her more, but once she started talking, Karin didn't seem to know how to stop. She described Suigetsu's body, from his cheeky grin, to his well-defined abs, and his penis size. Sakura laughed and shared a story about her first time with a boy in the woods behind the hut she grew up in.

"He was so loud he scared the wildlife."

And not once did Karin ask Sakura who she really was, or what she was doing in Suna, and the pinkette was too scared to tell her without provocation, in case it made her change her mind about trusting her.

Her apparent ignorance made Sakura wary of her, but she needed Karin to trust her.

Her conscience nagged at her so many times she had to have wine delivered to her room every night to keep herself from calling the whole thing off and just tucking tail and running away. If Gaara was going to be stubborn and not fight for them, then it was up to Sakura.

But in order for this plan of Ino's to go smoothly, Sakura couldn't be seen in public with Karin, lest anyone realise afterward who was to blame. She told Karin that she needed to train during the day (citing her unique position due to her gender and explaining about her friends and fellow soldiers in the barracks), so she was cordially invited to come to her room at night.

But train she did, doing as she'd told Naruto she would, and practising her skills. Specifically, the ones she'd need to perfect in order to defeat Gaara. If Ino's plan succeeded, Sakura would still need to kick his arse. No matter how long it took or how hard she had to fight, she was getting a rematch of that first, shameful duel. There were a number of Wind soldiers who used chakra in battle and had begun to train Sakura's kin (those who could also wield it, to their delightful surprise), so Sakura wasn't alone in that department. She spent hours going through drills with them and bonding with her newest compatriots.

The soldiers were far more accommodating than she'd expected; though a certain redhead might have had something to do with it, she liked to think they were genial on their own.

"We'll be at war soon," a Wind soldier had said one night, after the last of their drills were over and everyone had a mug of ale in hand, trading war stories.

"I thought we already were," another replied.

"It's called a Soft War."

"It is _not_!"

The land of Wind was on that precipice, not quite ready to dive into all-out war, but still performing manoeuvres and espionage that constituted as acts of war. Even someone not connected to war meetings knew that the land was yielding far less crops than ever before, so why the Fire King had yet to use that as an excuse to attack openly was lost on Sakura. But at least it afforded them time to shore up their power in the region. Apparently, Rasa was a military genius.

"We might as well assume we're already in deep. They'll be sending us out soon and we need to be ready."

Sakura stared at her kin, surprised. They'd come so far, and even though they held the same disdain for Fire that Sakura did, she was still surprised by their vigour to join the Wind army so willingly.

"To our general!"

Sakura found herself surrounded by her kin, all holding up mugs of ale as the Wind soldiers smiled, watching silently on, and she raised her own.

"To _victory_."

They hadn't forgotten her in their bonding with Wind soldiers and she felt closer to them than she had in years. There was a kinship between her friends and the Wind soldiers already though, and Sakura embraced it. They all hated the Fire monarch and, short of a civil war within Fire itself, Wind was determined to fight back against the tyranny; the intention to expand the kingdom to take over them all, as Fire had already done with several, smaller nations. So many had already suffered, both in their borders and out.

The anticipation of war was like a living, breathing being.

But as much as she wanted to fight, Sakura silently wished the Fire monarch could just be deposed and replaced with someone that knew how to _listen_ at the treaty table. She kept it to herself because the other warriors here didn't seem concerned about the death toll that was looming in front of them.

_Maybe they're just hiding it better than I am._

So, Sakura sucked it up and laughed along with the rest of them. After each day of training and learning and getting her arse kicked or kicking arse, she would stumble back into her own room, wondering if they thought that she thought her having her own room made her better than them.

Then after sunset, Karin would appear at her door and they'd bond over something or other—sex, family, feminine hygiene, or maybe their thoughts on the coming war. It changed every night. And when it got late enough that nobody would see her leave Sakura's room, Ino would come and escort a slightly inebriated Karin to her room where she could sleep her pain away.

Karin was getting her freedom in return for being used. She was getting temporary piece of mind in exchange for being that _user_. If she believed in the gods, she'd be worried about her eternal soul. Sakura told herself it was worth it, and that getting Karin out of Suna would help Karin, not just herself. She had no idea what this would mean for Gaara's future but dwelling on that question mark did nothing for her sanity, so she decided to worry about it when the alarm bells had stopped ringing after Karin's escape.

_First, we have to make it happen._

Then, two weeks after Sakura had met Karin, she let the redhead in on her plan. Ino's plan; the blonde's words rang in her head as she nodded and listened, dutifully.

"_If anyone can be convinced to end this engagement, it's Lady Karin"_

As though Karin hadn't _tried_. But force wasn't going to work, for any of them. They needed a more cunning plan than that. Sakura had talked about her and Ino fleeing and the blonde speculated many times on _how_ they could do it and not get caught. Having once been a part of a noble court, Ino was a little more knowledgeable about how to evade pursuing guards. And she must've been a spy in a former life, because she'd long since squeezed some of the older servants into revealing hidden passages and the best exits to avoid patrolling guards.

Sakura had no idea servants were such a rule breaking lot.

Karin was mistrustful of Ino initially, not believing that a mere servant would be willing or capable of helping her. Then Ino explained her former station, along with a few successful escapades of her own during her time in Fire, and the redhead was immediately _in_. Her hope and excitement were palpable as she lowered her head to speak in hushed whispers with her co-conspirators and the plan was tweaked to accommodate Karin (from Sakura and Ino's previous plan of them instead) and put in motion.

A month on from the afternoon that Sakura had found Karin sobbing in the gardens and a week after Gaara and his brigade had left Suna to go _wherever_ they were going, and armed with all the guard rotation information they needed to pull this off, they finally decided on the right night to put this plan into motion.

It was a multi-step plan: including the time-honoured classic of dressing Karin up as a servant.

Karin and Sakura were drunk on adrenaline by the time Ino waggled her eyes at the redhead suggestively, saying, "let's get you out of your clothes, shall we?"

**...**

Steel sung as it clashed in the dead of night, a light fog playing havoc with the battle raging around them.

Gaara sent out his sand to capture one enemy, crushing him beyond recognition as he met a much more skilled fighter with his sword. In war, there was no honour. It was impossible to keep to any kind of consistent code in this kind of atmosphere.

So, he slaughtered the enemy without caring if they were even equipped to deal with his power, making short work of the immediate vicinity. His troops were always much more aggressive with him around—whether to attempt to keep up with him or because they were invigorated by his perfect success record, he didn't know. But it didn't matter.

He looked around, squinting through the fog, having realised quickly it was being caused by a jutsu designed to suppress his senses. It wasn't a genjutsu, thankfully; Gaara didn't need to be able to see three feet in front of him to find his opponents. His sand ran beneath him as well as above ground. Worried about his siblings, he pressed on. Gaara charged through the enemy lines and sliced and diced, keeping his sand at bay, worried he might accidentally crush someone he wasn't supposed to; it's best use in a fog jutsu like this was to keep himself from surprise attacks. The enemy soldiers recognised him and some attempted to engage him while others stepped dubiously away from him. His face twisted into a wicked smile, eliciting terror and screams as he cut a path through them, pulling his sand along the ground to keep its destructive power focused in his immediate area.

It wasn't long before he saw his own banner being raised and Gaara knew they were victorious. He released his sand and walked through the bodies as the fog dissipated. Whomever had cast it must've been among the last to die—there were no enemy survivors here, just as he'd planned. He wondered if perhaps either Kankuro or Temari had defeated them—his money would be on the latter, since her affinity with wind meant she could cut right through the fog.

He smiled at that.

"Gaara!" The sound of Kankuro's voice calmed his concerns and he spotted his brother standing next to a very smug Temari a moment later.

_It must've been Temari after all._

"Report," Gaara said, when he spotted Baki.

The older man nodded to his commander. "The enemy is defeated. The casualty on our side is yet to be determined but it seems minimal."

"Find out for sure."

"Yes, sir."

"We've taken this region," Temari said, that smug look still on her face. "I think that calls for a celebration."

"We still need to get rid of the bodies to hide our presence here," Kankuro said pointedly, though his answering grin showed he was thinking the same thing as she was.

Gaara nodded. "As soon as we've gathered our own dead and wounded, I'll bury the enemy corpses."

"Never gets old, hearing you casually say things like that," Kankuro said, grinning as Gaara got to work on controlling the sands of the _entire_ battleground at once. They'd chosen this area to fight this battle for the specific purpose of Gaara using his sand affinity to hide their involvement.

Kankuro continued. "I wish I could see that old Fire bastard's face as he finds out his west contingent has disappeared without a trace."

Gaara smirked as Temari laughed.

"Me too," she said.

His siblings got to work aiding in the recovery of their dead and helping the wounded as Gaara closed his eyes to focus completely on the ground beneath him. Soil was more than earth and sand, but he found it easy to compensate by shifting it slower than he was used to, working it faster once Baki gave the all clear about their own men and raising his arms to better to control the flow. He ignored the awe of his troops as the ground shifted and trembled lightly in response, the bodies sinking as though they were caught in a sink hole and Gaara lowered his arms in a mock gesture of pushing the earth down. He felt the soil mixture pushing the bodies one feet, two feet, three feet: all the way to six feet under the surface.

Then he shifted the surface soil to cover the signs that it had been disturbed. There was now no trace of anything.

Kankuro threw his hand in the air and yelled, "woo! Let's go celebrate! I'm getting _laid_ tonight!" earning him whistles and slaps on his back from the troops.

Sorrow followed them as well, at the loss of their comrades, but the jubilation at having done what everyone else had said was impossible walked at the front of their contingent and led the way into the forest trails, out of the dark woods, toward the Wind border. They couldn't risk celebrating in another country, lest it get back and alert the Fire monarch that they were in the area.

But the small, loyal town of Ouchi-juku was waiting for them only half an hour away, with booze and all manner of _entertainment_ to celebrate and pleasure themselves with.

**...**

Gaara sighed, bobbing his head in mild exhaustion as Kankuro yelled out, "take it off" next to him.

He'd long given up on reminding his brother that having a wife waiting at home for him obligated a modicum of fidelity. It was both his duty and honour, but the man was stuck in a loveless marriage to a woman who barely spoke to him, let alone the rare times she let him between her legs; Gaara felt pity for her as well as his brother as Kankuro's marriage was as much as an arranged one as the façade Gaara was supposed to put up with Karin.

_Ugh._

That woman was a nightmare.

Gaara threw back another half pint of ale, determined to drown his sorrows and try to forget that the scantily clad women in front of him were making him imagine Sakura as the one dancing and slowly undressing in front of him. It made him wish Naruto was here to distract him from the idiots around him.

But the last he remembered speaking to the blond, Naruto made it clear he was finally leaving Suna. If he was right about that, then he and Kakashi were probably well within the Fire borders right now, on their way through that country and toward the free cities. Naruto's wedding was fast approaching and there was still so much to do, apparently.

Gaara looked around as one of the dancers squealed in delight when Kankuro shove more ryō down her G-string. He hadn't noticed Temari leave. Hm. This wasn't her scene, he supposed.

_Is it even mine?_

He cocked his head to the side, staring at the brunette dancer who was jiggling right in Kankuro's grinning face. She was cute. Her body was unblemished and well proportioned. But her breasts were too big for his liking. Nice nipples, but that was about it. He sighed in second-hand embarrassment as Kankuro buried his face in those large breasts, shaking his head and blowing raspberries noisily.

Most establishments didn't let you touch the dancers, no matter how much you paid them, but Kankuro had chosen this one because they were more lenient with the Wind soldiers who often passed through here (and shelling out hundreds of ryō every night certainly allowed them certain liberties).

Within limits of course.

And this was Kankuro's idea of flirting with what was little more than a cat-walk prostitute.

Again, Gaara's thoughts drifted to Sakura. He imagined the dancer's breast smaller; big enough that he could fondle each in one hand. He imagined her hair short and the colour of cherry blossoms. He imagined a demure smile morphing into a fierce glare that sent a thrill through his body, southward to his dick.

He groaned.

He was tormenting himself.

After a few minutes, this dancer's time on stage was over and Kankuro flopped back on the lounge next to Gaara as he let their soldiers have some fun with the three new dancers who were now sauntering onto the stage.

"This is great!" He said, waving at a waitress for another pint of ale. "Gods their tits are always the best part, aren't they? I could lose myself in those _honkers_ for days."

He carried on about all the _lovely_ body parts, drinking more and more heavily, racking up the bill faster than Gaara could lift sand. But he didn't complain. This was coming out of Kankuro's pocket, of that he would make certain.

The redhead was just contemplating grabbing a bite to eat and retreating this own room, _alone_, when Kankuro took his silence and inebriation as cue to ruin his mood.

"You need to get laid, Gaara. Don't let Karin take your cherry."

Gaara clenched his fists, ready to break one of his bones in retaliation when the brunette stood suddenly. "I'm gonna sample the local delicacies. See you in the morn, little bro."

Startled that his drunkenness hadn't impaired his speech, Gaara watched him sidle up to a couple of the dancers who were done for the night and hovering around to see if they could sell their more salacious services to a few of the soldiers, throwing his arms over their shoulders.

"Ladies!" He called loudly as they giggled, pressing their impressive breasts into his sides. "I'm a _bona_ fide hero in these parts. Wanna see another _bone_?"

**...**

Morning was a painful and blaring headache after a night of bliss spent in the arms to two beautiful, bountiful, and expensive women. Kankuro yawned loudly and they shifted sleepily, obviously not impressed with his drama queen theatrics this early in the morning. He hated it when chicks grew serious. It wasn't good for his libido.

But before he could try for another _happy_, the door to his room slammed open and a very annoyed and unrepentant redhead that he had the misfortune to call his brother growled at him, ignoring the nakedness of the people on the bed.

"Get the fuck out of bed," Gaara said. "We're heading home."

Suddenly awake and more alert, the girls started moving to get dressed, looking thoroughly scolded. Kankuro frowned at Gaara as his brother groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, like he'd just realised what he walked into.

"_Now_, Kankuro."

He slammed the door behind him as he stormed off, but not before Kankuro got in a parting shot.

"But I have morning wood!"

…

XXX

...

**R&R**

...


	8. Chapter 8

Hiya.

If I had to pick a favourite chapter, it would be this one. Conveniently, also my favourite number. ;P

Enjoy. ^_^

**…  
Chapter Eight.  
...**

The dull, monotonous alarm reverberated through the palace. Someone in this place must've known a jutsu that could amplify sound, because no alarm was naturally _this_ loud. It felt like Sakura's head was going to explode when she woke up to the early morning, reverberating blaring. She groaned, rolling out of bed and fighting with the sheets that had joined her before climbing to her feet. This was not a very nice way to wake people up. It wasn't very _kingly_.

She ate the small breakfast that was waiting for her, as usual, then suddenly remembered something, running to her laundry basket and throwing the lid off.

_Karin's dress._

The one she'd been wearing when Sakura and Ino had—literally—unclothed her. It had the Oto emblem on it, blaring loud and clear who it belonged to.

_Speaking of blaring,_ she thought as the alarm died down, making her eye twitch.

At the sounds of people outside her room, she panicked, hiding the dress under her bed, knowing only Ino ever looked under there, and ran to her closet. Her normal army of maids were nowhere to be seen and Sakura could only imagine what kind of spectacle was going on outside her room.

King Rasa was not going to take this well.

Sakura spared a thought to wonder how Gaara would react as she dressed, then pushed that down and fixed her hair as best she could (it was short, so whatever), and ran out of her room, forcing confusion onto her face.

"It's true," one of the ladies she'd never bothered to talk to said, while walking past Sakura's room with a friend and sparing the pinkette a cursory glance. "She's gone."

"How did she get out?"

"No-one knows. But I can only imagine it was one of those ghastly servants from the east wing that let her through."

"But why would anyone do that?"

"Does it matter? Only a plebeian would run out on someone like Lord Gaara."

"I certainly wouldn't. I wonder who he'll marry now."

Sakura ignored them, forcing herself not to grin as she made her way through the upper floors and remembered her antics the night before.

.

_They dressed Karin in a set of unused set of servant clothes, ignoring her look of disdain as she fiddled with the seams of her outfit._

"_Is this really necessary?" She asked._

"_If you want a distant guard to not call the alarm before you've even made it to the outer walls, yes," Ino said. "Just remember to keep the hood up."_

.

Sakura's room was situated in the east wing; she kept to the upper floors as she strode through, greeting people she was friendly enough with and looked around for any indication that anyone knew someone outside the servant class might have had something to do with Karin's disappearance.

After a while, finding nothing, Sakura took her morning stroll in the gardens and sat for a while, listening in on a conversation with some gardeners as they talked about King Rasa's rage.

"This'll be the end of talks with Oto, mark my words."

"Did we really need them, anyway?"

"The king seemed to think so, and he's a smart man."

"Hm. Maybe another alliance with someone less flighty would benefit Wind better, anyway."

Sakura smiled at that and closed her eyes, enjoying the morning sun. It wouldn't surprise her if Rasa was sending his guards to follow Karin toward Oto. Which was not where she was headed, but anyone who didn't know anything about her personally wouldn't know that.

She remembered what Ino and Karin had said the night before, as the three of them got ready to leave Sakura's room under the cover of darkness.

.

_Ino warned Karin that heading home would be too dangerous._

"_That's what they'll expect," she said. "Take a different path and stay off the main roads. But as soon as you can, disappear into crowds. That's the best way to throw off pursuers. Even a dog will lose a scent with enough people around."_

"_I'll go to the free cities," Karin said, nodding her head in agreement with Ino. "That's where Suigetsu's clan is based and father has no idea I even know he exists."_

_There was no way Rasa would know of her lover either, or even guess that as her destination._

"_Escaped many angry kings before?" Sakura asked, teasing the blonde._

_Ino poked her tongue out at her. "Just you wait until I get my title back. I'll kick your arse."_

_Sakura laughed. "Okay Karin, let's get you out of here."_

_Karin nodded in agreement. "Let's."_

.

Sakura turned her gaze up at the sun as the gardeners moved to another section to begin weeding and fertilising. Her presence here was expected and unobtrusive. She waited for a little while before getting up; it was almost time for her training, and today, being late would be too suspicious.

Sakura hurried back to the upper floors and took the main corridor to save time, but as she turned to head into it, she froze in place.

King Rasa was storming down the corridor toward Sakura, his face red and his steps heavy. His fury seemed to have an aura of its own, blotting out everything around him. As though it had a life of its own. She imagined she could _feel_ his menace. She quickly stepped into the corridor and out of the way, off the ornate path along the floor. The nearby servants bowed and pressed themselves against the walls. Terrified, Sakura copied one of the noble ladies nearby who was merely curtsying and staying out of his way.

She realised too late that his whole family was striding behind him and Sakura accidentally locked eyes with Gaara as he followed his father, looking like it was just another lazy Sunday morning. She didn't notice the way Kankuro smirked at her knowingly or the way Temari rolled her eyes and Queen Karura just looked curious.

Her lips parted, her breathing deepened, lips parting; she swallowed nervously. Those intense jade eyes bore into her green ones for as long as he could muster before the five of them turned a corner and strode out of sight.

**...**

Days later, it seemed the king was still on a rampage.

Sakura kept up her morning routine of a stroll through the gardens and decided it served multiple purposes, including easing her nerves and maintaining a sense of normalcy as she fought to pretend she hadn't stolen the future queen out from under the nose of the royal family. She broke the routine to head into the library, however, not looking to repeat that moment in the main corridor a few days ago. She desperately wanted to see Gaara, but not with his whole family around.

No-one could get suspicious that she might actually have motivation to undermine his now abandoned engagement. As she settled down for a good read of the classic Wind novels about ninja and chakra wars, Sakura couldn't help but remember her farewell to Karin, and possibly the last time she would ever see the girl.

.

_They stuck to the shadows as much as possible. Ino had served tea to the guards tonight and slipped a little sleeping concoction into their drinks. Not enough to make them realise they were drugged, come morning, though. They were just sleeping on the job. Ino had no intention of dumping this on some unsuspecting servant. This was her idea, and therefore her risk._

_Sakura took a hold of Karin's trembling hand as they entered the servants' wing and followed Ino's lead, avoiding all the frequently traversed corridors as they made their way to the west guard's tower. Karin almost hyperventilated as Ino knocked out a guard with a surprisingly robust vase and Sakura helped the blonde drag him out of sight as quietly as possible._

"_This'll give you a head start," Ino said, wiping her brow. "This guard tower is the one on this side with the wider field of view; the only others that might spot you will just assume you're another servant heading out to the stables."_

"_How can I ever repay you two?" Karin asked in a scared whisper._

"_Don't get caught," Ino said, smirking._

_Sakura hugged Karin. "Find your happiness and don't look back."_

_She may be a bit of a pretentious princess, but Karin was okay in her book._

.

Rasa was storming through the servant wings again, slamming things and accusing everyone around him of treason and ordering guards on double shifts. Or so _they_ said. Sakura heard about it all second hand as she avoided that wing to keep herself out of suspicion, and she cringed as Ino told her about him upending trolleys in the kitchen and laundry and yelling at the matrons in charge to thoroughly check the quarters of all their staff.

She hadn't expected such a violent and lasting response from the powerful king. Which showed how little she understood about the politics of arranged marriages.

_What kind of tyrant __**is**__ he?_

This made her glad she'd helped Karin, even if it had been selfishly motivated, but she worried about the servants who were bearing the brunt of his anger. If she'd known this was going to happen…

Ugh. Who was she kidding? She would still do it. She was such a selfish _bitch_.

"You did what you had to do," Ino told her when she confided her guilty thoughts to her. "He'll calm down eventually and this will just be a dark moment that everyone will want to forget."

The grapevine was running in overtime and people were speculating on who the culprit was, but no-one dared suggest someone of the noble families had a hand in it. Even though she wasn't born to their ilk, Sakura was still considered above servants, so she was spared suspicious glances; even the soldiers she was still training with in the days that followed said nothing and didn't change how they greeted and sparred with her.

A week later, the king stopped his tirade and returned to the war efforts; he could hardly ignore it forever.

Ino was right. And Sakura was in the clear. She had nothing to worry about. Now all she had to do was find an opening to talk to Gaara. To _see_ him. Easier said than done.

Then one evening, she finally remembered that Karin's old dress (with the Oto emblem on it) was still stuffed under her mattress and she had a moment of panic, trying to decide on the most discreet way to get rid of it as she rushed up to her room after her training.

She ran the possibilities through her head as she walked quickly toward her room, eventually deciding on the incinerators; they would be in the west wing and along the outer walls on ground level. She'd heard that they used fire chakra to burn things for fuel and to destroy unwanted objects, which sounded pretty efficient to Sakura.

But before she could sneak around and make her way to one of the incinerator rooms, she needed to sneak the dress through two wings without anyone noticing it. And she needed to _bathe_. The maids always had a tub of hot water ready for her each night, so Sakura shed her clothes quickly upon reaching her room and got to work cleaning out all the gunk from her day in the training grounds.

Her thoughts strayed to Gaara as she washed, wondering if he was happy or annoyed that his fiancée was gone, and if he was trying to avoid another arranged marriage. She wanted to see him, but he'd been so busy lately, with his father's ire and the war campaign keeping him occupied.

She sighed, taking a few moments to further enjoy the hot water before getting out. As she dried herself off and dressed, she silently thanked Ino for suggesting that her tub be emptied in the morning instead of late into the night, since the king's strict curfew for the servants was still in place—some things were taking longer to die down.

She grabbed Karin's dress and fumbled around her closet for something to wrap it with. It would have to be something she didn't mind losing to the incinerators.

_When did I get so attached to clothes,_ she asked herself as she had trouble deciding.

Eventually she just grabbed her sweaty, dirty fighting clothes and tore them in a few places (not the seams) to excuse why they were a lost cause, if anyone spotted and questioned her. She squashed Karin's dress and rolled it as tightly as she could before wrapping her own clothes around it.

She sighed, relieved to see it was good enough to hide it, before slipping out of her room and carefully making her way toward the west wing of the palace.

_Thank the gods for my unusual strength._

**...**

Gaara had been avoiding Sakura, for no reason other than shame. The elation he felt at Karin's escape made him feel guilty, but it also made him wonder if he really was that much of a horrible prospect to people. Sure, he and Karin didn't really get along, but neither did Kankuro and his wife. Was fleeing the palace the only option she felt she had?

And there was the guilt again.

Why was he worried about his ego over being rejected by some harpy when this was hurting their relationship with the Oto lords? The answer was clear: he'd rather marry Sakura and go to war with Oto than have anything more to do with Karin.

_Gods I'm pathetic._

"Stop moaning," Kankuro said, stretched out on the chaise lounge next to him.

They were in Gaara's room and his brother had been whining for the past half hour that with everything going on lately, he was supposed to go back to his wife for a few months and try _again_ for that grandchild their father (and mother) demand he sire.

Gaara wouldn't put it past Kankuro's _wife_ to be taking medicinal herbs to prevent it.

"At least your harpy had the decency to run away," Kankuro said, sitting up and seemingly done with complaining about his own life. "Go find Sakura and fuck her already. I'm tired of your self-flagellation." He stood and left abruptly.

Gaara frowned in indignation at his brother's blatant hypocrisy but when he calmed down, realised Kankuro was right. He had to do something—get rid of Sakura or fuck her. The past weeks had been torturous. Though the idea of hunting Sakura down and giving into his wants and _needs_ felt good, it also made him extremely nervous. He always prided himself on being in control of his faculty and sex was—from what he'd been able to gather—all about losing control. To some degree. He was going to be a bumbling fool; he just knew it.

Hence his shame and avoidance of the woman in question. But it was time to get over that. He nodded to himself, steeling his nerves. That settled that, then.

Gaara stood up and walked over to a wooden box in the corner of his room, opening it to reveal the package he'd had ordered in town recently and smiled. Sakura was going to love it, he knew it. But first, he had a suspicion to confirm. Something that had been bugging him about how Karin had escaped. He closed the box and grabbed a cloak before leaving his room. Sakura didn't seem to realise it, but the room he'd moved her to was not too far from his own. The royal family technically had their own wing, but it was mostly for show; the rooms up there were cold too often and Gaara's actual room was in the upper floors of the north-east wing, only a few minutes of fast walking from Sakura's room.

The royal wing was mostly used for balls—entertaining _important_ people.

Gaara braced himself as he walked and slowed as he approached Sakura's room but then stopped in his tracks as her door opened and she slipped out. She looked like she was trying to be sneaky; nervous and jittery mannerisms weren't really her _thing_. He stepped into the shadows to avoid her noticing him then watched as she looked around warily before taking off in the opposite direction to him. He frowned as she stepped into the shadows of the walls like she was trying to avoid detection and followed her discreetly.

What was she doing heading into the servants' wing?

An impossible suspicion he'd had over a week ago niggled at him. As he watched her head down the steps toward the west wing, he remembered that this was the direction his father believed Karin had snuck through. Sakura led him toward the outer walls on ground level and he knew suddenly where she was going.

_The incinerator rooms. But why?_

His gaze fell to the bundle under her arm and his eyes narrowed. She was going to burn something she wasn't supposed to have, that much was obvious. He let her get as far as entering the upper level of the incinerator room and stopping to unwrap the bundle before the dress that lay beneath the outer wrapping was revealed to him, and a familiar emblem seemed to blare at him.

_Karin's._

"What the _hell_?"

Sakura spun around and her eyes widened.

Gaara strode forward and snatched the dress out of her hand, grabbing her other wrist to keep her from fleeing. "What did you _do_?"

She wouldn't answer or look in his eyes and he so desperately wanted her to. The truth was he wasn't as angry as he appeared, but he couldn't help the feelings of betrayal and fury that bubbled up inside him regardless; as strong as the confusion at her actions and elation that she'd done something like this allegedly for him.

_For __**us**__?_

But why?

"Gaara, I…"

She didn't finish that thought and Gaara had to rein in his emotions. It would be naïve to think he was being too hard on her; she broke the law and pissed off his father (not to mention allowed the terrorisation of hundreds of servants). But he was enjoying the result of her scheming and he would be a hypocrite for not acknowledging that, at least. He didn't care about the consequences to Oto or Karin or her father. Hell, he didn't care that King Rasa was furious about this.

_Fuck the law._

But… Gaara couldn't let this slide. Not really. His father would have her executed, so letting him in on this was out of the question. He had to keep this quiet. He gripped the dress tighter, hating Sakura in that moment for forcing him to do such a thing, but then let out a deep breath and looked at the incinerator. You needed a fire jutsu to use it, so he wasn't sure what she was trying to do. The thick steel was capable of resisting the hottest fire possible using chakra and was open to the air to keep the steam from building up inside the palace.

But it didn't solve Sakura's problem.

Gaara contemplated just tossing the dress to the floor and letting the morning crew find it, but then that would stir his father into another whodunnit. He groaned and decided to keep the dress out of the way himself, for now. He tugged on Sakura and sent granules of sand out to make sure no-one else was around as he pulled her along behind him. He felt her resist at first but then quickly give up; her klutzy footfalls indicated she was having keeping stride with him, but he didn't slow down, forcing her to keep up with his long strides.

Gaara contemplated stopping by his room to discard the dress first but didn't want to hash this out in a room he couldn't flee himself, if need be. He gripped Sakura's hand as he realised his fingers had released her wrist and slid down to clasp her fingers instead.

"Gaara—"

"Shut up," he said, when they arrived at her door and he opened it without pausing.

He slammed it behind them then spun her around and shoved her against the wall, much like he had that day they almost kissed. And again, he pressed himself against her, dropping the dress as her torn fighting clothes fell from her hand. He was done pretending she didn't affect him. He was done not taking what he really wanted.

The demon inside him wanted to take her right away. To punish her so very thoroughly for what she'd done. Then shower her with thanks and appreciation, for the same reason. He was so torn. What the fuck did any of it matter anymore? He couldn't stop himself from what was about to happen, if he tried.

"Did you want this?" Gaara pushed his hips into hers and she moaned. "Did you commit treason for my dick?"

She blushed and closed her eyes.

"Or do you have some fanciful notion of being in love with me?"

Her eyes flew open and he groaned, feeling himself harden as she silently answered his suspicion.

"Fuck." He pulled away, grabbed her shoulders and pushed her toward her bed.

As Sakura stumbled against the mattress, Gaara started undoing the buttons on his shirt. She watched, her mouth hanging slightly open, as he quickly shed himself of his shirt and licked her lips as her eyes hungrily ate at his chest. For someone so lean, his muscles were tight and well-defined.

Gaara smirked, now undoing his trousers and bending down to rid himself of this last impediment to her eyes.

She just stared at him as he waited a moment to let her take in his naked body. She bit her lip gently. He was not flaccid. Apparently, her perusal turned him on. But she knew enough from her own experience that he was still not ready.

"Take your clothes off," he said.

Sakura wondered if he really was a virgin like she'd thought as he stood there, unabashed under her gaze and ordered her to get undressed. But she quickly acquiesced, sliding off the bed and dropped her own clothes to the floor.

For his own part, Gaara was trembling inside. Somehow, he was able to maintain an external appearance of calm but that was going to change very soon. His eyes widened in delight as he stared at her nude body and moved slightly as though attempting to cover up, but then clearly decided not to; he growled in anticipation. Then he was pouncing, grabbing her and throwing her on the bed before climbing on top of her, pinning her in place.

He shifted to mould himself against her groin; once again, it did not escape either of them that his pelvis fit snugly into hers. And they were both very aware that though they'd seen each other naked but had yet to even kiss.

Gaara lowered his mouth to hers and she lifted her knees, making his dick slide along her nub and causing them both to moan. He nipped at her bottom lip and slanted his mouth to suckle at hers, absentmindedly grinding his hips against her and creating a friction between them that was both arousing and exciting his body.

Their moans filled the room and he moved faster, humping her desperately as their kiss intensified. She scratched his back, locking her legs around his hips as he shook, excited and nervous. It occurred to her this really _was_ his first time, and Sakura pulled out of the kiss. He growled but she palmed his chest with both hands, tweaking his nipples and smirking at the way that made his eyes roll into the back of his head. Her left hand trailed along his bicep as her legs released their death grip on him and he stopped humping her a full second before her right hand reached down and grabbed his dick.

He almost came right then and there. She had to admire his restraint.

Sakura started rubbing along his tip, watching him as Gaara stared into her eyes, his breath coming out shallow and hot against her face. She gave a particularly hard pull on him, making him growl, then let go and wrapped her legs around his hips again. She wanted so much more foreplay, _needing_ his head between her legs before anything else, but there was a growing need much stronger than that—to have him inside her.

This was the culmination of months of built up tension. They could do the rest later.

Gaara took her hint and grabbed his dick, pushing against her folds and slowly inching his way inside her. Sakura shifted her hips and helped him guide himself, moaning deeply as he made it all the way in, filling her up to the hilt.

"_Fuck_," she moaned.

And he was off, in all his enthusiastic glory, thrusting in and out of her like there was no tomorrow and Sakura cried out, lifting her hips to meet him; his rhythm settled better once she started this and it didn't take long for them to move in synch.

Gaara couldn't think. He couldn't focus. All his concentration was on not finishing too quickly as he took her roughly. Her noises almost sounded like crying, but he couldn't stop himself if he tried. He was finally fucking her, finally getting his rocks off and gods forgive him he never wanted another quim for as long as he lived. It occurred to him for a moment that there were a number of steps he'd bypassed, but all his concentration diverted solely to taking her hard and fast, like he'd been fantasising about doing for months.

Eventually, he threw his head back and hollered, coming hard and hot inside her before thrusting a few more times and slumping over, exhausted.

They were definitely going to be doing more of this.

**…**

**XXX**

**...**

**AN:** Ah, how my lemons have evolved lol. ;)

**R&R**

...


	9. Chapter 9

Hiya.

Enjoy. ^_^

**…  
Chapter Nine.  
...**

The light of the morning was dazzling and penetrated her eyelids before she'd even opened them. The heaviness of sleep made her forget for a moment why her body felt so relaxed and satiated. But when her mind came back to her she smiled involuntarily, and for the first time in as many months, Sakura didn't want to get up and ruin this perfect moment of awareness.

She kept her eyes closed for a few more moments, the memory of last night coming back to her in vivid recall and she grinned to herself. The smell of sex and feel of the rumpled sheets made her moan softly and she didn't want to get up. But as she stretched and yawned, her bare skin brushing against the soft sheets like a lover, she realised something was very _off_.

Sakura's eyes flew open and she rolled onto her back.

She was alone.

Alone and naked. She sat up and looked around scrunching up the sheets as her fists clenched. In anger and panic, Sakura felt her body tremble as she struggled with her emotions. Was she more angry or upset? She couldn't tell. Gaara had left her naked and alone after finally coming to her, making love to her, and making her think she might have a future with him. Which emotion was more appropriate?

And she couldn't help the detrimental thoughts that followed. Was it all for nothing? Did she mean nothing to him? And if she was indeed as insignificant as some quick and easy shag, then why didn't he just turn her into his father?

Sakura wallowed in self-pity for a few minutes before deciding on anger and groaning. What the fuck was wrong with him? She fell back onto her back and glared at the ceiling. He was regretting it, that had to be it. The arsehole! She rolled onto her right side to look at the rumpled state Gaara had left his side in before running away from her.

_His side._

She snorted and fought the urge to groan and sob; the anger bubbling inside of her was not strong enough to silence the tears, it seemed. She was going to _kill_ him. Then she noticed something. There was a wrapped package sitting on the edge of his side of the bed. It was long and rectangular; she sat up, letting the bedsheets fall from her naked body as she picked up the package and unwrapped it quickly.

Did Gaara leave her something?

Hope blossomed in her chest as readily as shame did as she opened it and gasped. She should've known what it was from the size of it, but it was quite a jump from something she'd expect to be given by a lover. Not a traditional gift at all, but it showed he knew her. Or at least cared; he'd clearly spoken with Naruto about their trip into the markets that day.

Before her lay the sword that she'd ogled in that shop (_Buki Masutā Emporium_) complete with the gold inlay on the hilt and the symbols carved into the blade.

Sakura's hand trembled as she ran her fingers along the cool steel, admiring its beauty and craftsmanship. She couldn't stop the flow of tears, but at least it was happy tears; she let them flow freely. After everything, her emotions and the stress from what she'd done and avoiding getting caught, was catching up on her. She held the sword to her chest gently and waited for her turbulent emotions to die down.

It was a Sakura with a purpose that got dressed quickly and ate the breakfast that had been left for her.

What the maids must've thought about the state of her room she didn't know.

_Wait._

Sakura turned around and searched for Karin's dress, quickly coming up empty. Had Gaara taken it to his father after all?

_Stop that._

Her logical brain seemed to have shut down over night. She was tidying up the bed to give herself time to think things through before she left the room and made a fool of herself when the knock sounded on her door. She froze and waited.

"It's me, Sakura."

She rushed over, opened the door, and quickly ushered Ino inside.

"Woah." Ino looked around. "What happened in here?"

Sakura blushed and didn't respond. The blonde stepped over to the bed and sniffed it (the weirdo).

"Did you entertain a gigolo last night?"

"Ino!"

Ino was grinning at her. "So, you and Gaara, huh? Good girl."

"It was sudden," Sakura said, unsure how else to describe it.

"It was a long time coming," Ino argued, moving away from the bed and sitting on the settee. "So, _dish_. What was he like? Is he circumcised? Did you get morning sex?"

Sakura sighed and sat down next to her. "Amazing, no, and no." She bit her bottom lip. "He was gone before I woke up."

Ino screwed up her nose. "_Men_. But I need more on the 'amazing' comment. How amazing? So good you can't see straight amazing, or tender and loving? _Dish_!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and recounted the night from the moment she found Karin's dress and took it to the incinerator room, to the moment she fell asleep with Gaara's body pressed up against her back and his arms wrapped around her.

Ino whistled. "He discovers your secret and then proceeds to fuck you senseless. Nice. Uh," she frowned. "He doesn't know about me, does he?"

"No, Ino. I wouldn't rat you out."

"Thanks."

"And what happened to the dress?"

"I think he took it."

Ino stood up nervously. "But the fact that he fucked you instead of turning you in means he doesn't want you in trouble, right?" She paced for a moment, then stopped and dragged Sakura to her feet. "Okay, come on. We're going to find out what is going on in his head."

But that plan went out the window when they found out he was dining with his family, then heard that he was heading out soon to another battle front—this time without either of his siblings, but still with his personal guard. Something was up and Rasa was sending his best weapon to wipe it out.

**...**

Gaara woke up that morning with a raging hard on. He'd had morning wood before, but this was just ridiculous. Maybe it had something to do with the previous night's activities, he didn't know. He contemplated shaking Sakura out of her sleep by fucking her into the mattress again but when he looked at the clock on her wall he realised he didn't have the time to do that, sneak back to his room, and get ready before his breakfast with his family.

Kankuro hadn't yet left and there was trouble on the border to Oto, adding to their list of potential enemies, but Gaara had a mission separate from his siblings this time. His father had to accommodate his strategies for Karin's escape, and he needed his best weapon on the front line to make it happen. So, no matter how much Gaara wanted to stay, he'd been selfish enough. It was so exhilarating to take what he wanted for a few hours, but there were other issues now. Sakura had been here for so many months now, she could wait a little while longer.

She was going to be angry, and surprisingly, Gaara was looking forward to that feisty, angry tantrum.

So, he reluctantly just kissed Sakura on the forehead and grabbed his clothes. He used his sand to retrieve the package he'd been meaning to give to her and again, contemplated waking her up. But if he did that, he might not leave, and he _needed_ to go. When he came back, Gaara fully intended to talk with her about what this meant for them now. His father was going to be difficult, but with everything that'd been happening, it was the least of King Rasa's concerns that his youngest son had decided to actually shag the woman he'd brought home with him.

Gaara sighed, looking down at Sakura's sleeping form once more, then taking his time to cover her hips as the sheet slid off to reveal her flushed form to him as she shifted in her sleep. He hated that she was going to wake up alone, but it couldn't be helped. Maybe the sword he'd bought her (that Naruto had gone on and on about until Gaara agreed to get it for her) would help lessen that shock.

_I hope so._

A part of him worried that they were heading into dangerous waters now, and that he might be better off sending Sakura away to keep her safe and finding another fiancée to replace Karin but now that he'd had her, the thought of having to give her up was more painful than before. That was why a part of him regretted giving in to her. He'd dug that grave for himself, now. The path to an arranged marriage and merely pining for the pinkette was no different to what was awaiting him once his father found out. Gaara would do his duty to his nation and his family, but Sakura was a part of that now. She was one of his special people.

_Father will just have to understand._

His thoughts flitted to his mother, then. And how she was the most understanding person he'd ever met. Hope blossomed in his chest. But he was going to have to work for it, and the first step would be tearing his eyes away from Sakura's naked form and leaving. He _needed_ to. As a compromise, he kissed her lips before leaving the sword on the end of the bed for her and quietly slipped out. He found the nearest maid and told her to spread the word to leave Sakura to wake on her own. The maid timidly argued that they always left breakfast in there for her, first thing so he relented on that, but swore her to secrecy on what she found when she entered the room.

He only hoped the maid didn't let it get around that Gaara had exited Sakura's room at an ungodly time of morning and that the room in question stunk of sex.

**...**

Breakfast was a tense affair and Gaara was curious as to the looks his mother was giving him across the table. He pretended not to notice it as his father explained in detail what he was going to be doing when he crossed into Oto territory.

"Your mother has convinced me not to declare open war with Oto," Rasa said. "But we cannot let this lord organise his forces along our borders in such a provocative manner unchallenged. With the loss of resources, we will need a different approach. Which is why you will quell this before they are finished getting into position. You must leave immediately after lunch and make it there before night fall. Or else this plan of mine will never work."

Gaara nodded and silently finished his pork sausage and fried tomato and onion.

Rasa left first, Kankuro second (with an exaggerated moan that he had to return to his not-so-loving wife), and then Temari, who was looking between Gaara and their mother like she wanted to say something but thought better of it.

"I hear you didn't spend the night in your room," Karura said, after delicately wiping at her mouth.

"From Temari or a servant?"

She smiled softly at that. "Since your engagement fell through—" (that was one way of putting it) "—Rasa and I have received many petitions from the noble families in Suna as well as from several other nations, like Kiri and Kumo."

Gaara groaned.

"Quite," she agreed, startling him. "The last thing this family needs is for another arranged marriage so soon after that debacle and so close to open war. It would be seen as an act of desperation and make us look weak to our enemies, or so your father has decided." She gave him a pensive look. "Though I hear your friend, Naruto, is in talks with the nobles of Fire to stop the fighting on their end."

Gaara's non-existent eyebrows rose. "Really?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"No."

Naruto could make friends with a cactus. But the Fire King was not a reasonable man, nor particularly caring about anything that didn't benefit him in that moment. Since Naruto was marrying into a family the king had deemed traitors, Gaara doubted the blond would get anywhere with him. His mother should know better than to believe this.

"Well," Karura hedged. "It's just what I heard. My sources are in high opinion of him. But as for the main point of this conversation, what lovely lady did you spend the night with last night?"

Gaara blushed and looked down at his empty plate as the servers entered and his mother waited for them to leave before continuing. "I'll be quick, so your father doesn't wonder why you haven't left yet."

He nodded.

"If you're just dipping your wick, then I understand." (If possible, his blush deepened.) "But this is unlike you to just dally. I don't expect all the details now, on such a tight timeline, but tell me if she means something more than casual sex to you and I will promise to help you with your father."

Gaara started, gaping at her.

"Don't give me that look, Gaara. Do you really think that if you or Kankuro had fallen for someone prior to your engagement that I would not have fought for you? I understand the importance of arranged marriages. It is not lost on me." She sighed at his disbelief. "Perhaps I am not as inclined toward these arrangements because your father and I were already in love when we married. Your father is a stubborn mule," she added, when Gaara made to remind her that that logic didn't work on Rasa. "But a loving wife has a way of taming even the most arrogant of beastly men."

Gaara nodded, remembering Naruto had told him this one—though not in so many words. He lowered his head again. He had a lot to think about. His regret over the night before was akin to a burning in his chest. And a guerrilla assault on advancing forces was the perfect place for him to take out his frustration and think on this some more. The beast in _him_ agreed.

And it would be wise to speak with Naruto on this, as well.

His mother wasn't done, reaching out to grasp his hand, squeezing it affectionately. "I'll take your silence as an affirmative and be sure to keep a protective eye on your dear Sakura while you're gone, in case you tire of this childish brooding."

Gaara gaped at her as she stood elegantly and left the room. His mother was the most intelligent _and_ cunning person he'd ever met.

**...**

Sakura spent the time that Gaara was gone flipping between being angry and pummelling the training grounds like a woman scorned and pining like a lovesick teenager; she attempted to distract herself by throwing herself harder into her training and spending her spare time in the library or hanging with Ino in her room. The weeks dragged on and became two _long and tedious_ months. The Wind soldiers were getting restless and Sakura woke one morning to news that all of them had been sent off.

Without her.

She was devastated and angry and had no idea who to take it out on. No-one she spoke to knew who gave the order to keep her in the palace while her kin left to fight for Wind without her. Another month passed and she was growing restless, taking her anger out on test dummies and whatever inanimate objects in the training grounds she wouldn't get into trouble for breaking. The ladies of the court who used to pay her no mind were now giving her a wide berth. Her anger was becoming notorious.

She was at her wit's end by the time Gaara finally deigned to show his face (three months after his departure), just waltzing into the training grounds one morning as though no time had passed. She spun to face him, growling at him. He raised a non-existent eye at her.

"Are you not happy to see me?"

It really was like no time had passed. Sakura's fury took over her elation at seeing him and it felt like they'd fucked and sucked each other only just last night. Even the emboldened images that attacked her upon seeing him couldn't calm her down. Even remembering the feeling of him inside and all over her couldn't wipe the anger from her eyes.

Though it did make her blush uncontrollably. Three months of pent up sexual tension seemed to hit her all at once, but she pushed it down.

"Gaara," she growled.

"Sakura." His eyes danced over her like he was drinking her alive. She shuddered under his intense gaze. When he didn't seem to have anything to add—and wouldn't stop undressing her with his eyes—Sakura gave in and growled.

"What the fuck do you think you were doing disappearing on me like that? After we.. after we—"

"Had sex," he finished.

"Yes!" She raised a fist at him. "You had me furious and worried, Gaara!"

His blank stare morphed into a soft expression and she lowered her fist. "I'm sorry," he said. "I had orders and had to leave the palace that morning to carry them out."

"And you felt I didn't need a note or something to let me know you weren't regretting what we did?"

He sighed. "Is there any answer I can give that will make you feel better?"

"Yes."

He blinked at her. "Then no."

It was her turn to sigh. She trembled lightly, trying to hide it behind her anger and sarcasm. "What are you doing back? I didn't hear the victorious trampling of an army returning down the streets."

"They will be back tomorrow. I came ahead to see you."

She snarled. "Well congratulations, you've _seen_ me."

He smirked.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "And just what were you doing all this time that was so important?"

"Quelling the Oto fighters."

"And that took you three months?"

"No."

"Then where did you go after it was done?"

"The Fire capital."

"What?"

That smirk was more defined. "You heard me."

"What the hell were you doing going _there_ of all places?"

"Damage control."

"Huh?"

His succinct answers were doing her head in.

"The king of Fire is dead."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

Gaara took a step toward her. "Naruto actually convinced that idiot Sasuke to attack his king."

Sakura couldn't help it. She threw her head back and laughed. She really had to meet this Sasuke she kept hearing about.

"I really need to meet this Sasuke," she said. "Sounds like he knows how to get things done." She smirked at the disbelief and annoyance on Gaara's face. "Unlike a certain other person I know, who doesn't seem to—"

Gaara pouted. "I'm glad that was humorous to you," he said, ignoring the jealousy at the idea of Sakura returning to Fire and trying to court that _bastard_. "The Uchiha are now in power there and that clan is as untrustworthy as—"

She frowned. "But Naruto said—"

"He thinks too highly of them." He closed in on her, forcing her to press her back against the wall behind her. "But enough of that."

She gulped. "So, _that_ took the rest of the months you were gone?"

"No."

"Ugh." She shoved him and he chuckled, stepping away from her. "Will you get to the point? What took up the rest of the time you were gone?"

"Naruto's wedding."

"Oh." She wished she could've seen it, but she wasn't _allowed_ to leave Suna, let alone visit the free cities. It made her feel left out.

"He asked me to tell you to kick my arse."

"Oh, really? And what did you say to that?"

"I'd like to see you _try_."

He was smiling, not smirking, and Sakura took it for the challenge it was. They were going to fight. She glanced around at the training grounds nervously, then back at him. The smug bastard raised an eyebrow at her expectantly. Like, who was going to beat him, anyway? The arsehole. She'd show him.

Sakura cleared her throat and shook off her nervousness. "What do you want if you win?"

"_You_."

Her lips parted open at the possessive growl in his voice and her mouth grew dry. She swallowed heavily.

He smirked now. "And what do you want if you win?"

_What can I even say to that?_

Sakura wasn't sure.

"I'll tell you when I win," she said, meeting his challenging eyes head on.

"You're on. Choose the weapon we will both use."

"First blood again?"

"First blood," he agreed.

"Then I choose chakra."

His non-existent eyebrows were fascinating; how they rose like that was very interesting.

"Okay," he said slowly. "You're sure?"

"I know about your power," she told him. "And given what you did to me last time, I want you to have a handicap."

He scowled. "And this is fair?"

"More than our first fight," she said, in a sing-song voice. "What's the matter, scared?" When he didn't immediately respond, she used the same sing-song voice to say, "I'm going to knock your pretty face into the ground, _scaredy cat_."

He growled. "Name the handicap."

"Minimal sand manipulation; no using it to smother or crush me."

"Fine," he snapped.

She was used to trying to sense people on the move and Kakashi had told her that Gaara wasn't as fast as Naruto (but not slow by much) so she felt confident he couldn't evade her. She stretched out her arms, making a show of getting pumped and as Gaara moved into a defensive posture unlike anything she'd seen him make before, she knew he was taking her seriously this time.

He knew how she'd trained. She smiled at that.

_Finally._

She stood still for a moment, focusing her chakra into her hands. Sakura knew he liked to wait and let his opponents attack first. It seemed he was good at the waiting game with that, so she decided to give him what he wanted and rushed forward to attack, her fist clenched and poised as though to hit him. His sand struck out to meet her and he was careful not to overwhelm her, but she avoided the streams of sand easily.

"Well done," he said, and she huffed.

Gaara performed a few signs she'd never seen, and she felt the wind before she saw it. She forgot for a moment he also knew wind techniques. She held her arms up to brace against the attack, then the moment she could move again Sakura performed a quick earth seal Kakashi had shown her. She had his full attention and that smirk was back on his face at the sight of the scrapes on her skin; she jumped out of the way, performing some signs Gaara didn't recognise and, his eyes intent on it, he felt woozy for a moment but then shook it off.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I'll tell you when I beat you." Sakura dashed forward again, this time going for brute strength as she channelled chakra to her fist. Kakashi had told her about this technique, but she'd never seen it used so she had to make do with her interpretation of it. Gaara's sand flew up to protect him and he glared at her as her fist made contact.

The chakra laced attack hit the sand head on and for a moment she thought it wasn't going to work, but then the sand cracked and fell away, startling him so completely that he barely moved out of the way as she continued to throw her fists at him.

"I thought we were just using chakra?"

She smirked. "_Just_ chakra? Did I say that?"

"Vixen," he growled, and she laughed at him, performing another sign and disappearing from sight.

She had improved so much, and he was oddly turned on by it, but this had to end, _now_.

"You're about to lose, Sakura."

"We'll see."

He spotted her, realising she was using some kind of optical illusion jutsu he'd have never thought possible from her.

_It has to be._

There was no other explanation. The signs were foreign to him, so they weren't elemental by nature.

Groaning at his miscalculation, Gaara dodged another hit from her. She was definitely faster than before too. She anticipated his speed so easily and he inwardly cursed Naruto before shaking that off and going on the attack. He concentrated on packing his sand in tighter and keeping up with her movements in his attempt to hold her down with it. He didn't want to just toss the sand javelin at her. He didn't want to _really_ hurt her.

But damn, if she didn't show the same restraint, he wasn't sure how to win this.

_Not going to happen._

As Gaara's sand swirled around Sakura, reflecting his indecisiveness, the pinkette was smirking at him when she dodged again and came at him full pelt. She wasn't holding back. He groaned. If that was the way she wanted it, then it was game on!

He formed his sand into a clone of himself and Gaara and his copy both raised their arms; the sand moved faster. But before he could form it into something to hold onto her, the pinkette had slammed her fist against it again. Her momentum carried her forward and she was aiming straight for him. He shifted to avoid the blow and her knuckles grazed his shoulder. But that damn momentum was still driving her forward and to his surprise, this seemed to have been her plan all along.

Sakura slammed her body into Gaara's as he attempted to evade, taking advantage of his evasive style and her superior speed. She succeeded in knocking him to the ground and his head spun again; that woozy feeling he'd had before, when she'd made those weird signs, was back.

She giggled down at him.

_Damn, that face is just too pretty to scar._

Gaara scrambled to throw her off but a sudden rush of strength in this woman kept him pinned to the ground. She ceremoniously raised a fingernail and scratched him.

"First blood," she declared, and he growled.

"How did you do that?"

She stood up and stepped back, then dispelled the genjutsu. "Kai."

His eyes widened, wiping at the blood that had dropped, regardless of the illusion. She was _good_. "You're a genjutsu type?"

It was rare these days, mostly belonging to those with kekkei genkai or specialised training that took far longer than what Sakura had had to practise this. She really was a natural. He smiled. She must've performed the genjutsu back when she made those signs he didn't recognise, and he'd felt woozy. He'd have to watch out for that next time.

"I concede."

Sakura grinned at him as he climbed to his feet.

"Don't get a big head," he said. "You surprised me with that genjutsu. It's a rare talent I couldn't have predicted."

She pouted. "You can't just let me have this one, can you?"

He huffed. "Fine. What was the thing you wanted if you won?"

Sakura grabbed the front of his flak jacket and kissed him roughly, bit his lip to make him moan and then pulled away to murmur, "_you_."

He pulled her back into the kiss and manoeuvred her up against the wall again. "You have me."

**...**

Mismatched eyes turned away from the lovers as they fell into each other. He hadn't sent a clone here to watch them go at it in the armoury of the training grounds. He'd just wanted to see that redhead kid get knocked down a few pegs. It was the reason he'd help train Sakura, after all. No way was he missing _that_. And it was a good fight. Kakashi had seen straight through Sakura's genjutsu and she executed it perfectly.

He was proud.

He paused, then turned back around and got comfortable on the roof overlooking the training grounds. He smirked, watching them writhing against each other. He would have left to give them privacy, but good porn was scarce these days.

**…**

**XXX**

**...**

One more chapter to go. Hope everyone reading this is safe and well. :)

**R&R**

...


	10. Chapter 10

Hiya.

Sorry to everyone who was expecting a direct continuation from last chapter—this isn't. I've not been game to change any of the plot structure up for fear of this turning into another version of my other story **Happy Ending**, which took me years to finish the final chapter because I changed the original direction the story was going to end on (mid writing it), and then figuratively _lost the plot_. So, I hope you all like the _happy ending_ of THIS story.

Also: I got carried away with the smut. More intense than I'd intended but you guys deserve it. ;P

Enjoy. ^_^

**…  
Chapter Ten.  
...**

**One Year Later.**

It had been one a hell of a year. Sakura could barely believe sometimes, all that had happened. But she still bore the physical and emotional scars of it; every screaming match, every threat of renewed war, and every attempt on her life had brought them all to this point.

She was finally married.

Sakura looked out over the ballroom as the guests of her wedding reception danced, gossiped, and imbibed the alcohol her new father-in-law had had imported from the newly established winery in Oto, especially for this occasion. It had a sweet and bitter taste that worked surprisingly well. It reminded her of how hard she and Gaara had fought to even get to this day. She had numerous people to thank for making this possible; all her friends were at this reception, and she had never been surrounded by so much love in her life.

Gaara had been the rock that got her through that first heated argument with Rasa, and her friends had stood by them both. Though she could've done without the twinkling, knowing look Kakashi was giving her when she recounted her winning fight against Gaara to him. She wondered what was going through his head as he congratulated her with no look of surprise. She'd shrugged it off as him having faith in her, but the awkwardness awareness still creeped her out.

Sakura handed her finished drink to a passing waiter and dragged her new husband back onto the dancefloor.

"Enjoying yourself?" Gaara asked, kissing her forehead.

"I am now."

He chuckled as she threw her arms around his neck. They danced for a few songs before Gaara insisted they move off the floor. Sakura returned to greeting, mingling, and observing her guests, a new drink in her hand. Her father was dancing with a lady from Kiri and she playfully batted his hand away every time he moved in for a grope; they both giggled at his antics.

_She must be too drunk to be offended,_ she thought, grinning.

Sakura was used to this from him. She'd been too young to remember her mother when she passed from a plague, and every opportunity he got, Kizashi found himself in the arms of a woman; ugly, average, and beautiful, he didn't care. They were all beautiful to him. Her father was a good soul.

She glanced at Gaara, who wasn't so amused by them. His frown deepened when he noticed her teasing smile, directed at him.

When Gaara found out the Elder who had been merely amused by him that day in her village was Sakura's father, he'd gazed at her with such intense trepidation that he hadn't seen the wide and comical embrace from Kizashi coming when he threw himself at the redhead.

"_If I'd known he was your father, I'd have sent you to live him instead of sitting and powdering your nose all day,"_ he'd hissed as the half-naked, tall, and beefy man thanked him somewhat tearily for looking after his little girl, from under his armpit.

Sakura's laughter had lasted for days.

She gripped Gaara's hand as he pouted at her; a dignitary from some small outlying town near the free cities drew his attention and Sakura sighed. Seeing that the bride was unoccupied, a dignitary from Iwa introduced himself, and she spent a few moments trying to avoid the old man's wandering hands before being saved by Ino, who was dolled up for the first time for years (and loving it) and introducing herself as "Lady Ino Yamanaka of Fire". She pompously waved off the dignitary, ignoring his indignant squeaking and locked arms with Sakura.

"So, you finally got your title back, huh?" Sakura grinned at her.

"Almost," Ino said. "I just have to return home to make it official."

With the Uchiha in charge of Fire, Sasuke had offered every clan and individual who'd been ostracised by the last king their positions and citizenship back if they so wished. And Ino so wished. Her parents were ecstatic, which paled in comparison to how she felt at the possibility to be close to the Uchiha again.

"You hung around for my wedding? How sweet."

Ino slapped her arm playfully. "Didn't want to miss the big day I helped make happen."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you keep telling yourself that."

"And I'm going to miss you, forehead girl."

The pinkette groaned at that nickname. Ever since she'd been freed of servitude to Wind, Ino had taken the opportunity to start treating Sakura with less airs and respect.

"Well I won't miss _you_, pig."

They glared at each other for a moment before breaking into laughter.

They went their separate ways—Ino to track down Sasuke, who Naruto had convinced Gaara to invite to the wedding (though Gaara insisted he come as a guest as the bride and not the groom) and Sakura to saunter over to her husband and plant a noisy kiss on him while he was in the middle of talking to the dignitaries who were hogging his attention.

She laughed at his stunned expression and the growing blush on his skin.

The dignitaries from Fire were given a wide berth by a lot of people, but otherwise, everything seemed to be going smoothly.

Gaara's father was in a corner with his mother, her hand running through his hair as she whispered in his ear. Sakura was in awe of that woman. If anyone had told her that there was someone who could convince him not to kill people, not to lock up his children for their defiance, and not start a war just for the sake of appearances, she'd have laughed in their face. The man was crazy.

When the redhead announced to his father that he was going to marry the Fire barbarian that Rasa thought he'd been screwing all along, it was Queen Karura who soothed him and talked him into accepting it. When Kankuro—seeing how happy Gaara was with someone he actually loved, and how he'd gotten what he wanted—announced he was divorcing his harpy wife, Queen Karura was the one who settled Rasa down and prevent bloodshed.

She was truly amazing.

A year ago, no-one would've thought the monarch would still be without grandchildren and the existing marriage would soon come to an end. And they never could've predicted that Temari—of all people—would agree (quite readily) to an arranged marriage with a Fire noble.

_Ino's best friend._

The cloud watcher had apparently wooed the wind user without meaning to and both nations were in talks over the finer details of their engagement. This was going to ensure a bond between Fire and Wind. One _nobody_ could've seen coming back when they were gearing up to slaughter each other. The irony was that all of the political power Rasa was hoping to gain from an agreement from Oto paled in comparison with what was actually coming out of an accord with Fire.

These were crazy times.

So, by the time Lord Gaara's wedding came around, Sakura had been accepted by the twittering nobles she'd been ignored by before, and thrust into the limelight as people were making bets on who would eventually succeed Rasa: Kankuro or Gaara. Sakura always flushed at the idea that she might one day carry the title of queen, especially since Kankuro had no intention of settling down again (any time soon) and Fire law dictated the King be married and either with a child on the way or in the process of attempts to conceive that child.

"Sakura!" Naruto's voice rang out in the ballroom, turning every eye to him as he pushed his way through the crowd, a shy looking girl following in his wake.

Sakura accepted his hug. "Is this _the_ Hinata I've heard so much about?"

"Oh yeah," Naruto grinned sheepishly and introduced her to his wife.

Hinata curtsied. "Lady Sakura."

"Please, you can just call me Sakura."

"O-okay."

"Congratulations, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, winking at her. "I just knew you crazy kids would get together."

She punched his arm. "Thanks, Naruto."

"Have you seen teme?" He asked. "I thought he might be brooding in a corner or something."

"Teme?" She was confused.

"Oh, that's what I call Sasuke."

"He's talking with your father, Naruto," Hinata said.

Naruto took Hinata's hand and put it in Sakura's. "I'll be right back."

Sakura gave the embarrassed Hyuuga's hand a squeeze before letting go, watching Naruto rush over to his father and friend. She'd seen Sasuke from a distance before and Ino was right about those beautiful features of his. She wondered if the blonde had a chance with him or if he already had a marriage of convenience in the works. As the liberator of Fire, people were pushing for him to be officially crowned and she knew that Fire had a similar law to Wind in that the ruler be married.

She idly remembered her silent wish over a year ago for the Fire monarch to just be deposed and replaced with someone that knew how to _listen_ at the treaty table. Both Naruto and Sasuke were responsible for the uprising that saved thousands of lives in the—almost—bloodless coup. It showed promise for the future.

Familiar arms snaked around Sakura's waist and Hinata curtsied in Gaara's direction; he nodded to her then lowered his mouth to smother the pinkette's making the Hyuuga squirm in embarrassment.

So much for his own embarrassment earlier.

"Hm." Sakura clutched the front of his chángpáo as she returned his passion for a moment later, then pushed at him slightly. "Later," she said breathily. "We still have guests."

He grinned as Hinata's face turned beet red.

"Oh," Sakura said. "Here comes Naruto and Sasuke. Wow. Ino was right. The Uchiha really do look like they were sculpted by the gods. _Nice_."

It was payback for embarrassing Hinata, and Sakura didn't regret making her new husband growl and glare at her jealously as Sasuke kissed her hand and smiled charmingly as Naruto introduced them. The blond also seemed to be enjoying Gaara's reaction.

Ignoring Gaara, Sasuke held her hand a little longer than necessary. "If you ever get tired of this guy," he cocked his head toward Gaara, "you know where I live." He bowed, smirking as Gaara's aura darkened. "Lady Sakura, Lady Hinata."

He swaggered away and Sakura giggled slightly, taking Gaara's hand when he moved to attack the man.

"He's just riling you up, Gaara," Naruto said, laughing. "And you fall for it every time."

Though he was definitely everything Ino had claimed, Sakura could see why Gaara hated Sasuke. If someone took every opportunity to piss _her_ off like that, she'd want to tear them to shreds, too. But she didn't worry about him, turning to stand in front of Gaara as Naruto and Hinata made their way onto the dancefloor.

She kissed him gently, yelping slightly when he pulled her into a rougher battle of the tongues for a few minutes before they both pulled away, breathing heavily. She regained her equilibrium and stood on tiptoe to whisper in his ear.

"Behave and I'll let you eat me out in Sasuke's guest room when he's occupied later."

That cajoled him and he grinned at her promise. "You're on."

They danced a little more before the large doors opened dramatically and everyone in the ballroom paused to note the late arrivals. A minute later, Sakura found herself surrounded by strangely dressed warriors, taking a moment to recognise them as the Hōzuki Clan. She wasn't sure if she should relax or challenge them to duels, with those intense looks on their faces.

"Sakura."

"Karin!" Sakura threw her arm around Karin as she emerged from behind one of the beefier men. "I didn't see you at the shrine."

"Unfortunately, I can only travel so far so fast," Karin said, tapping her very pregnant stomach, "so we didn't arrive in the city in time to see Gaara's first and last public kiss."

The man in question just rolled his eyes at the attempted dig, but Sakura laughed. She loved this new, proud, and blunt woman standing in front of her. It suited her much better than the shy and downtrodden girl she'd helped escape a tormented future.

"How long can you stay?" Sakura figured Karin wasn't planning on popping her kid out in Suna.

"A day or two," Karin said. "I didn't want to miss this celebration completely."

Sakura hugged her again. "I'm glad you're here now."

Karin smiled back at her and reached behind herself and tugged on someone to come stand beside her. "Sakura, this is my husband, Suigetsu Hōzuki. Suigetsu, this is Sakura."

The man gave a feral grin, his canines digging into his bottom lip and bowed. "Milady."

Sakura could see immediately from the other warriors why the Hōzuki Clan were considered barbarians, but Suigetsu had a more lithe body shape and intelligent air to him which she guessed had attracted Karin to him in the first place. Though he still looked like a barbarian to her, but she wisely kept that to herself—she'd been in his position once and was no-one to judge. What she liked about him though was expression, like he was up to no good.

"Lord Hōzuki," she replied and curtsied, eliciting a genuine smile from him.

A lot had changed since Karin fled the Wind capital, including her country's official recognition of the Hōzuki Clan's status as nobility. They didn't act like nobles, but they were officially just as highly placed as any of the higher clan in the kingdoms.

Sakura and Karin chatted for a bit, as their respective husbands stood next to them, looking bored.

"So, you forgive me?" Sakura asked softly (it could never be public knowledge, what they'd done).

"For taking advantage of me for your own personal gain? Sure." Karin laughed then whispered, "I'd have done the same thing. And you gave me what I wanted most in the world. Suigetsu suggested if this is a girl," she gently touched her stomach, "to name her after you. And I agreed."

Sakura bit her lip to keep from crying. "You're amazing."

"Of course."

Gaara gave a curt nod to Karin as she and Suigetsu moved away, glancing at her bulging stomach. "Congratulations."

She smiled warily at him. "Thank-you." She nodded to Sakura. "You too."

"Huh?"

"She meant our wedding," Sakura said at Gaara's paled expression. "I'm not pregnant. And I won't be for a good while, thank-you very much."

She planned to join the efforts to clean up the rebel factions that had been forming—they were loose ends from the power vacuum between the kingdoms, as was to be expected in a war-torn world. And she wasn't going to miss the last chance she had to be part of battles of importance. Whether Rasa named Gaara his official successor or not, popping out heirs could _wait_. She knew what herbs to take to prevent conception because there was no way she was going to remain celibate until she was ready to get pregnant.

Gaara looked relieved and took her hand to lead her back onto the dancefloor.

They eventually made their rounds as the party was dying down; Sakura's father gave Gaara a long speech about plucking cherry blossoms _delicately_ (pretending he didn't know his daughter had already been plucked) and Rasa seemed to have finally calmed down long enough to give her a curt nod and then tell his son to not shame him by _doing it wrong_. Karura kissed Sakura's cheek and wished her to, "have fun with him. He's all yours now," before taking her husband by the hand and floating away. Others were more or less a mixture of cheeky and respectful. Kakashi had disappeared after telling Gaara that he hoped they had lots of really great sex and the hundreds of guests laughed at the booming response from Naruto about how, "you're a pervert, Kakashi-sensei! Stop acting like grandpa Jiraiya!".

And finally, all eyes were on the bickering pair just on the fringes of the dancefloor as Ino's voice carried over to them. Kankuro was flirting with her, and _badly_, it seemed. Gaara had come to the realisation that he was better at it when he'd been married.

Ino slapped his brother and people started whispering behind their hands.

Kankuro didn't let that stop him. "I can—"

"_No_!" Ino snapped.

"I'm sure you'd like what I—"

She stepped on his foot and ignored his cry of pain. "I said _no_!"

Ino stalked away amid twitters and giggles of those around her but didn't care. As soon as this wedding was over, she was out of here. The only thing in Suna she was going to miss was Sakura. And they were not going to lose touch, so it was fine. She was more than ready to leave this whole bloody place behind.

Sakura giggled and Gaara smirked as Ino made her way over to Sasuke, who had been watching the exchange in a standoffish fascination—much more like the personality that Ino and Naruto had told Sakura he had.

Sakura threw her arms around Gaara's shoulder and they touched their foreheads together. "I love you, husband."

"I love you, wife." Gaara lowered his lips to hers.

**...**

"Help me with this, will you?"

Gaara undid the ties holding her cheongsam in place; there were various styles of this dress and Sakura had bought this cherry blossom themed one with the image of him removing it from her person, in mind. He loved that they always seemed to match their clothes using a cheongsam and chángpáo. Her actual wedding dress had been more elaborate and Gaara imagined fumbling trying to get her out of that.

Her reception dress was much better.

Gaara tugged on the cheongsam and unwrapped her, his fingers skimming over her breasts as he went, earning himself a smirk from his new wife.

_Wife._

He still couldn't believe his luck.

Sakura reached up and kissed him as her dress fell from her body, leaving her in scant lingerie. Her hands slowly undressed him as they kept their mouths busy. His thumbs pressed against her nipples and she gasped, breaking their kiss before stepping away. She slowly removed her lingerie before sauntering over to their bed, a sway in her naked hips and enjoying the way he was salivating over her.

"Hm."

She laid herself down and spread her legs, fingering herself as he moved to stand at the end of the bed, just watching her, entranced. She groaned, tweaking her nipples and lifting her knees, parting them for better access. Gaara watched her come undone under his stare before climbing onto the bed and burying his head between her thighs. He lapped at her, cleaning her out as she wriggled and tugged on his hair, making whinnying noises. She came again, this time harder and faster; his fingers aiding in her release.

"Mm. Gaara."

He crawled up her body, kissing, licking, and teasing her as he went, before finally pressing his mouth against hers. She groaned, reached down, and started pumping him; his hips moved with her and they lay like that for a few minutes before Sakura pushed at him, rolling him onto his back.

Gaara groaned. "Your training is unfair."

Sakura smirked. She'd learnt from an old friend of Naruto's—Lady Tsunade—how to focus her chakra to enhance her strength. She'd already played around with the theory before, but it was an amazing tool once perfected. And it left Gaara at her mercy when she wanted it to.

"That's not all Tsunade taught me," she said. He was curious for only a moment before she shifted downward, heading to his dick. He was almost ready, and grinned as she grasped it.

"Really?"

She nodded. "Just you wait."

She pushed her chakra into his penis, and he moaned at the sensation of his blood pumping faster through it. That's all an erection was really: blood flow. This made him instantly hard and lightly woozy and he muttered, "this better not be a genjutsu."

"No," she promised. "It's very real."

"Come here then, vixen."

This was what a year of really great sex had done to Gaara. He was still often grumpy and standoffish (depending on the circumstances), but he'd developed a brazen, cheeky attitude in their bedroom she'd had never guessed him capable of, before they'd slept together that first time.

"Yes, sir." She saluted him then straddled his hips, giving him an expectant look.

He took the hint and took control, grasping himself as he lowered her onto him, slowly, inch by inch.

"Fuck," he groaned.

"That's the plan," she said, and immediately began moving on top of him, at a languid pace. "Hm."

Gaara hissed at the spasms in his dick when she gyrated her hips and leant forward to kiss him, changing his angle. He held her hips, moving them faster and trying to shift his own to heighten the adrenaline running through his body. When she threw her head back, coming hard, he pulled her torso down to suckle on her nipples and she cried out, _loudly_.

Gaara held her but with one hand before pushing her onto her back without rolling them over, now thrusting into her like a man possessed. She started screaming, lifting her hips in time with his and clawing at his back. His male pride swelled, and he positioned her leg over his shoulder before picking up speed again and kissing her deeply. She cried into his mouth, murmuring his name over and over.

When he slowed down, finally, Sakura sighed, stretching her body out as though she was warming up for a sparring session. No matter how many times they did this, he never got tired of seeing her stretched out beneath him. She was a goddess.

His mind went back to that day they first met, to how his body had reacted to every inch of her flawless and smooth skin, her green eyes that were brighter than his, her cherry blossom hair: her beauty. She was a warrior, but she looked soft enough to be a noblewoman who'd never seen a battle.

Gaara groaned, spilling into her unexpectedly.

_Gotta look out for that._

He'd come immediately, to that memory.

Sakura continued moving her hips, milking him to get another orgasm for herself; it worked a moment later and he felt her quim flutter and squeeze him before she sighed in contentment.

He moved off of her and pulled her to him.

He rolled her onto her back and stared down into her questioning eyes. "I love you, wife."

She smiled. "I love you, husband."

The kiss was slow and loving.

Gaara waited patiently as they lay in silence, just enjoying each other's company, wanting his erection to come back again on its own this time. He wanted to show her over and over again just how much he loved her. How much her existence meant to his existence.

He had time. They _both_ had time. They had the rest of their lives.

**…**

**XXX**

**...**

**AN:** So, this is finished now. You might notice the word count is above what I'd originally said it would be—that's because every time I edited a chapter for posting I couldn't help but add more to each one. Worked out fine though. Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed, etc. I had a lot of fun writing, editing, and posting in this manner. I think I'm going to do it again, with another unposted wip soon. *cross your fingers*

**R&R**

...


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